Captain Neji and the Hidden Straits of Death
by wildcatt
Summary: A mysterious prisoner. A pirate lass with remarkable aim. Betrayal, bloodshed and perhaps freedom for one Neji Hyuuga, Captain of the Royal Guards. And thus, the swashbuckling adventure begins...
1. Attack

**I'm in the middle of going through all the chapters and editing them. Nothing drastic - I'm only fixing some grammatical errors and cleaning up the style a little. Plotholes will be closed when spotted. However, there *may* be minor inconsistencies between an edited chapter and an unedited one. Whether a chapter has been edited will be noted at the top of the page.**

**I haven't updated this fic in a long, long time, but after editing all the existing chapters I will be writing and uploading the final three.**

**This chapter is edited.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Attack!**

Dusk found the _Konohan Maiden_ sailing smoothly through the murky waters of the Hidden Straits, the treacherous stretch of sea that separated the Konohan Empire and Sunakagure. A small but sturdy galleon, she was an elaborate affair, sleek and fine with large sails and an intricately carved figurehead of a beautiful young woman. The last remnants of light washed over polished wooden planks, illuminating the thick, sturdy banisters that ran around the top deck. The night was cold and disconcertingly quiet, with only the gentle murmur of waves lapping against the sides of the ship and the occasional, hollow footsteps of the sentry breaking the silence.

"Excuse me, Sir Daichi." The young guard nudged his companion with a shoulder, whispering. "_Sir Daichi_."

"Eh...what is it?" The older man glanced down at him, a little annoyed. His assigned partner for night-duty was a newly added member of the patrol squad, an inexperienced, awkward boy growing his first beard. His enthusiasm as a freshly-minted Royal Guard had driven him to pester Daichi with a seemingly endless stream of questions and eager observations, such that Daichi was by now quite tired and rightly wary of what he was about to say. (That, and the abnormally bushy eyebrows that adorned the youth's face.)

"Sir Daichi, I have a sudden, terrible feeling..." His voice was hushed dramatically. "...that something is very, very wrong."

"Oh?" Daichi raised an eyebrow that was of regular thickness. "And what may be so very wrong? I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary." Despite his words, his pace quickened slightly and his gaze traveled across the top deck, scrutinizing each shadow. He had been a guard too long to dismiss any gut feeling as inconsequential, despite his companion's youth and relative inexperience.

The abnormally bushy eyebrows scrunched together; the youth appeared deep in thought. "I'm not sure...all I know is that there is a horrible sinking feeling somewhere around here." He patted his stomach.

Daichi rolled his eyes, muttering darkly under his breath. _Eh...idiot boy probably ate too much grease for supper._

Suddenly, a faint scratching sound issued from the side of the ship. Daichi stiffened before grabbing his partner's arm, clamping a hand over his mouth. Eyes widened as something silver gleamed on the banisters; a metal hook whipped over the side and secured itself around the curve of the wooden railings, trailing a length of rope that dangled over the edge of the ship.

"Curses!"Daichi swore under his breath, releasing the boy to draw his sword from the scabbard. "Quick, Lee! Run for help!" When Lee tried to protest he roughly shoved him in the direction of the stairways, growling, before pivoting back to face whoever, whatever, came up. "_Now!"_

He heard stumbling footsteps behind him as Lee rushed off to alert the others and he stepped forwards by himself, brandishing his sword. "Who's there?"

His yell resounded sharply across the water. No reply came –

But a hand clamped down on his shoulder. His mouth opened in shock. "What in heaven's name-?"

Too late, he noticed the second gleaming metal hook just a few feet behind where he and Lee had stood, oblivious. In a matter of seconds someone's knees had him pinned face down on the ground and a low voice was whispering in his ear.

A low, distinctly feminine voice.

"... Hey there, handsome."

* * *

Below deck, the Captain of the Royal Guard, Seventh Division, sat awkwardly in a high-backed chair, doing nothing to hide his boredom and distaste with the current situation. His dark red coat was stiff and uncomfortable, the various pinned-on medallions clinking annoyingly with the slightest movement, and his starched white shirt was scraping against his back. He never really liked the ruffled cuffs, anyway; all in all, the whole ensemble was too fancy for his tastes as well as highly uncomfortable, from the inflexible, high collar to the polished, cramped boots. Sighing, he let his gaze roam around, ignoring the food spread out before him.

The dining room was small and rectangular, with a roof so low the crystal chandelier swung alarmingly close to the occupants' heads every time the ship swayed to the side. Dimly flickering candlelight cast dark shadows across the velvet curtains, which had been pulled back to reveal a large, somewhat dirty pane of glass that served as a window. The faces of his companions were illuminated by a warm glow as they chatted animatedly across the dinner table.

He snapped his fingers casually and a servant hurried forwards, refilling his glass with another serving of rich, heavy wine.

"Oy, Neji." The young man with a scruffy mess of brown curls sitting on his left smirked at him, revealing one pointed canine. "What's with the long face, eh?"

Neji narrowed his eyes. "It's _Captain_ Hyuuga to you, Inuzuka."

Kiba's smirk widened. "I do apologize, _Captain,_but you've been looking like a walking corpse since the first day of our journey." He stabbed a sliver of chicken with his fork, raising it to his mouth. "A heinous crime, considering that we have such lovely ladies for company." He winked lewdly at the pink-haired woman sitting opposite him, sending a pretty flush across her face.

Neji rolled his eyes. Kiba noted with a rather morbid fascination that one could barely tell he was doing it, his eyes being completely white.

"C-c-cousin?" A soft voice spoke out from Neji's right.

"Yes, Lady Hinata?"

"I-I was w-wondering– would y-you be staying with us once we r-reach Sunagakure?"

"I'm afraid not. My orders were to escort your ladyship and Miss Sakura on your way to the capital, and to make sure you were properly received by the Kazekage. Once that is finished I will be heading back to Konoha."

Hinata lowered her gaze. "I...I see." She fiddled with the food on her plate gloomily.

"...C-cousin?"

Neji sighed. "Yes, Lady Hinata?"

"Why did f-father send m-me away?"

"Lady Hinata, this is not the place and time to discuss this issue." Sakura placed a hand on her friend's wrist warningly. Hinata nodded, colouring.

"I a-apologize."

Neji gazed at the stuttering female next to him; when he next spoke his voice was oddly detached. "I am not privy to the affairs of the inner court, but I suspect that it has to do with Lady Hanabi's coming of age and the deterioration of your father's health." The implied meaning hung heavily in the air and Sakura tightened her fingers around Hinata's wrist encouragingly.

"Eh, Neji! You don't have to be so cruel about it." Kiba scowled, a little embarrassed for their charge. The powerful, highly influential Hyuuga family controlled a large proportion of the Konohan empire, and it was a well known fact that the Hyuugan Elders fiercely disapproved of their heiress, Lady Hinata.

"It's a-alright, Lieutenant Inuzuka." Hinata hung her head sadly. The truth was, she had understood the moment her father had informed her of her coming extended stay at the Sunagakurean court as an 'ambassador'; they were sending her away so that Lady Hanabi, her stronger, more outspoken younger sister, could later ascend to the ruling seat. Still, the knowledge stung and she could not keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I... ...I guessed quite a while ago."

An awkward pause in the conversation ensued, so much that the clinking of cutlery seemed unbearably loud and jarring. Sakura coughed lightly and tried to break the silence. "I was thinking that it is rather strange how we were given such an, ah, _impressive_ escort – normally we only require a few lower ranking soldiers - but to be attended to by Captain Hyuuga yourself..."

Kiba coughed.

"...and Lieutenant Inuzuka, of course," Sakura added dryly. " Despite Lady Hinata's status, I am still quite confused as to the reasons for this arrangement."

Neji opened his mouth to reply but Kiba beat him to it. "Miss Sakura," he began brightly. "Would you by any chance know the name of the waters that we are currently crossing?"

Sakura frowned slightly. "The Hidden Straits, I believe."

"Lieutenant Inuzuka, is this really necessary?"

Kiba blithely ignored Neji's protest, continuing in his chipper manner. "That is correct. However, we hardened sailors – " Neji rolled his eyes again. "- know the _full_ name of the Hidden Straits."

"...The full name?"

Kiba nodded and his voice lowered ominously. "The full name is...the Hidden Straits... ..._of Death._"

Sakura and Hinata stared at him blankly. "...Really?" Sakura offered weakly, not sure whether she was more worried about the strange name or the sanity of their Lieutenant. "And why is that?"

Kiba grinned darkly. "Because of the pirates, naturally."

Sakura blanched and Hinata squeaked. "P-p-pirates?"

Kiba seemed delighted by their unease. "Bloodthirsty ruffians that roam the seven seas...terrible villains of dishonourable intent... ..." He leaned across the table. "But never fear, my lovely ladies," he murmured, voice suddenly growing soft. "I will protect you with my very life, should it come to battle." He tossed his head gallantly.

"Enough," Neji snapped impatiently at his subordinate. "Lady Hinata, Miss Sakura. The most important reason why we have been chosen to accompany you is because there is a prisoner kept in this ship – an S-class criminal – wanted in Sunagakure. Normally we wouldn't place prisoners on the same boat as a Royal escort, but with the threat of the coming war, most ships have been deployed to protect vulnerable coastal areas, including prison ships." He glared at Kiba. "While it _is_ true that there have been known cases of pirate attacks in this area, the chances of us being targeted is still very low."

Hinata and Sakura nodded. "I...I see..."

"_Captain!_"

All heads shot up at the guard who had just burst into the room, shouting.

"Captain! We have an intruder!" The youth gasped for breath, hands on his knees. "Sir Daichi– he sent me – hook appeared – rope -"

Neji stood up immediately, heading towards the doorway. "Lee, stay with the ladies here. Inuzuka, come with me." Kiba nodded and was about to follow when a hoarse yell drew their collective attention to the window.

Sakura screamed. A guard was swinging upside down on the other side of the glass, desperately grappling for a hold. Somewhere above there was a short burst of laughter from a woman and a quiet, but distinct mumble –_"How troublesome"_; then the guard dropped like a stone.

"_Sir Daichi!_" Lee cried out, rushing to the window and desperately trying to break through the window as a loud splash resonated through the night.

Gritting his teeth, Neji ran through the narrow corridors and up the main stairway to the top deck, Kiba following close at his heels. The cold, salty wind stung their cheeks, whipping their coats around their legs as they turned left to dash across the wooden planks. Two dark figures were balanced comfortably atop the wooden railings, peering down at the splashing and shouting below.

"Ino," the taller, lanky silhouette drawled lazily, "did you _have _to do that? You're so troublesome..."

"Shut up, you lazy swine. Don't complain when I'm doing all the work for you."

"You there!" Kiba shouted. "Stay where you are!" He drew his sword, brandishing it threateningly at the two intruders as he stepped forwards. "Who are you?"

"Don't be rash!" Neji warned, drawing his own sword. "There could be more of them – where the hell are the reinforcements?"

Suddenly a short dagger skimmed between them from behind, embedding itself a hairsbreadth from his feet. Kiba jumped back with a yell. The weathered wood cracked around the blade, such was the force of the throw. Wide-eyed and furious, Neji spun around and stopped short.

Metal hooks gleamed wickedly in the first shafts of moonlight. Two more figures were climbing onto the deck on the other side of the ship, while a third, presumably the one who had thrown the dagger, swung over the railings in one smooth motion.

"Damn..." Her voice rung out sweetly through the tension in the air. "... ...I missed."


	2. Of Troublesome Women and Poisoned Blades

**Edited.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Of Troublesome Women and Poisoned Blades**

Kiba glanced at his captain. _I'm ready._

Neji nodded almost imperceptibly, and the two moved with practiced ease into their usual defensive positions: back to back, swords raised, steel blades gleaming dark red in a blurred reflection of their military coats. The wind whipped Neji's hair behind him, stray strands shaking out of his loose, low ponytail as his legs slid wider apart, finding better purchase against the slippery deck.

"What the hell do you want?" Kiba demanded loudly, teeth bared. He clasped his short sword tightly in his hands, each fibre of his body tensed in anticipation of a fight.

"Lighten up, puppy." The first woman's soft purr drifted towards them from the darkness and he bristled angrily, struggling to make out the shadowy outlines of the two figures poised casually atop the banisters. "We're only here to take back what's ours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" returned Kiba defiantly.

The figure next to her shifted, slouching lazily. "Tch. Always so melodramatic, Ino." Ino slapped his arm and he sidled away from her, muttering. "Troublesome wench." He cleared his throat quietly and continued in a rather bored tone, scratching his elbow in the process: "Right. So...well...what she meant was, if you want to live, you'll have to hand over the prisoner. Now."

Neji stiffened, surprised. How did they know about the convict onboard?

The low rumbling of running footsteps was vibrating through the deck underneath their feet; a muffled shout of warning was heard from below and he smirked, reassured, unconsciously standing a little straighter as he spoke. "The Hyuugan council has ordered the criminal to be executed in Sunagakure. It is my duty to guard him on this passage and you will not have him under any circumstances. Unless, of course, you can provide me with the correct paperwork, clearly signed, sealed and dated." He glared at the offending figures and Kiba could not help but marvel briefly at his inane ability to sound incredibly, exasperatingly _proper_ even during the most risky of situations. "Any attempts to sabotage the course of justice will be met with due military retaliation."

"You _fool_." Neji turned his head, startled as the woman who had thrown the dagger suddenly snapped at him. "Have you truly no idea what is happening? You're going to _die _soon."

"Is that so?" Neji responded coolly, his smooth baritone threaded with arrogance. "I'll have you know, right this moment reinforcements are coming from below deck. You do not stand a chance against my men." He smirked as a small group of impeccably uniformed soldiers hurried out from the main stairways, boots clattering across the deck. Others emerged suddenly from hidden trapdoors that opened merely a few feet away, swinging up elegantly to position themselves next to their captain and lieutenant. Finely-honed blades were unsheathed; in an instant twelve swords were directed towards each of the enigmatic strangers still hidden in the shadows. "I would suggest you surrender now and subject yourselves to arrest."

An unimpressed snort. Neji had the distinct impression that somewhere in the dark Ino's eyebrow was currently raised in disgust. "Twelve? You're hoping to beat us with _twelve_ sorry landlubbers?"

"Eh, Tenten, let's just skin these bastards and get it over with!" A bright, boyish voice suddenly growled as one of the vague shapes jumped forwards, landing in a tensed crouch a few feet away. All twelve swords immediately redirected towards the figure and the woman next to him yanked him back by the shoulder, hissing.

"Keep _calm_, Naruto! We don't have time for you to play around like last time."

A sudden flare of light blossomed in the dark. She straightened, spinning around abruptly. One of Neji's men had brought a torch and was now swinging the flaming stick about, casting long shadows across the deck. "Put that out _now!_ Ya salty bilge rat, you might as well send up bloody fireworks to alert Orochimaru's crew to this ship! They're going to see it and find us and then _all_ of you will die! Put that damn thing out _now!_" Suddenly she leapt forwards into the small circle of light cast by the torch. Neji glimpsed briefly a flurry of pink silk and light brown hair before Tenten tackled the poor man to the ground, grabbing the burning stick and throwing it overboard in a brilliant arc of light.

"_Get her!_"

"_Tenten!"_Naruto growled. "Ya scurvy seadogs, I'm gonna whip ya scrawny asses!"

Suddenly all was chaos; all five of the remaining intruders leapt headlong into the crowd of soldiers with various battle cries (and one disgruntled mumble of "...Women are so troublesome.")

Kiba grinned viciously before launching himself into the fray. "Bring it _on_, you bastards!"

* * *

"Lady Hinata, we must find someplace safe." Sakura grasped Hinata's arm tightly, trying to get the young woman to respond. Hinata had frozen at the sight of Daichi's fall, already painfully raw nerves completely overwhelmed by fear. Pale eyes were wide and unblinking as she turned to face the desperate woman beside her.

"M-Miss Sa-Sakura..." she stuttered, stumbling thickly over each word. Sakura bit her lip, dragging the stunned Hyuuga towards the door before turning around to address the young guard. "Excuse me, Sir Lee? Sir!"

Lee was still at the glass, tears streaming down his face as he wailed. "Sir Daichi!"

Sakura was near shaking with fear but forced herself to march around the table to the sobbing young man, tugging at a red cuffed sleeve. "Please, sir, help us. _Please_. We have to get Lady Hinata somewhere she'll be safe! You must show us where we can hide. _Sir!_"

Lee tore himself from the window, still crying uncontrollably. Sakura ran trembling fingers through her hair, ruffling the neat pink strands and tugged at his arm one more time, nearing the end of her patience. When Lee still failed to respond, she dropped his arm abruptly and ran back across the room to Hinata, picking up her long skirts to keep from tripping. "Come, we'll find some place ourselves."

"Wait!"

Sakura swiveled around, heart pounding in her chest. Lee was wiping the tears from his eyes in a very manly manner, wide eyes gleaming tragically at them. "The cellar. The ladies have to hide in the cellar, it's the safest place in the whole ship. I'll take you there, but we have to hurry! I _must_ return and avenge Sir Daichi as soon as possible!" He strode across the room stiffly, before suddenly stopping in front of the two terrified women and executing an elaborate bow. "Allow me." He held out both arms and Hinata and Sakura rather doubtfully attached themselves to either side, allowing him to support them as they hurried down the chillingly empty corridors and down the stairs.

Sakura kept glancing worriedly at Hinata but her charge seemed to have calmed down a bit; her face was still stiff and rigid with apprehension but she managed to keep up with the mad dash down the seemingly endless flight of stairs, down, down, down until they reached a dingy passageway. The long corridor was dark and narrow, poorly lit by flickering candlelight. They were near the very bottom of the ship and the powerful, dull creaking of the hull echoed around them as they hurried forwards. At the end of the corridor there appeared two possible exits: on the left wall, a securely padlocked door with an empty chair beside it; on the ground before them, a small trapdoor. Lee immediately crouched down, working the lock mechanism with surprisingly deft fingers before flinging open the wooden paneling to reveal a large, unlit room below.

"Down here, quickly!" Lee ushered Hinata down a rickety, moulding ladder, himself remaining above them in the corridor. Sakura quickly reached out and grabbed a candle from a pewter dish left on the floor before stumbling down after her. "You'll be safest here, as long as you remain quiet", he promised fiercely. "Lady Hinata, Miss Sakura, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for now. A glorious fight to the death awaits me –" Hinata and Sakura gaped at him from below, grasping onto each other, "- yet justice and goodness will prevail, and the Royal Guard shall protect you with our very lives! Yosh!" He wiped a stray tear that was tracing down his cheek and sat back. "Farewell for now, and good luck!"

The trap-door closed on them.

* * *

That woman was disturbingly competent at handling sharp objects.

Neji had attacked Tenten instantly if reluctantly, instinctively recognizing her to be the leader of the pirate gang. He still could only vaguely make out her lithe form as they dipped and twisted around each other in the dark, navigating between the other fighting bodies, though sometimes he caught brief, startling glimpses of large brown eyes and dark hair pulled back into two tight buns. So far she had managed to keep him at a good distance away from herself, allowing her to use a seemingly limitless supply of weapons in (he had to grudgingly admit) a rather powerful offensive.

But Neji Hyuuga was not a Captain of the Royal Guard for nothing. His face remained perfectly impassive as he ducked down, a sudden volley of metal needles arcing through the air where his chest had been. Immediately he flipped onto his hands, extending one leg in a powerful kick that knocked Tenten off her feet. A dagger plunged down, missing his leg by a hairsbreadth before she leapt up again, hands moving deftly to retrieve two curved blades from a leather scabbard swung over one shoulder.

"Give up," Neji advised her calmly, thrusting forwards with his own sword. She blocked the blow easily with one knife and swung around against his chest, swiping upwards with the other and nicking Neji on his chin. Dark brown eyes boldly stared into his; they were so close to each other her long bangs tickled his cheek and he could feel the heat radiating from hers, which were slightly pink from exertion. Rather pretty, really...

"I should be saying that to _you_, Hyuuga." Smirking, she danced away again as he scowled and wiped the blood off with the back of his palm. Shame she was so horrifically barbaric and unladylike. A woman fighting! ... ...Pfft.

"_Uuuuzuuumaaakiiiiii!_"

Suddenly Neji was thrown onto the ground, the air momentarily knocked out of him by the force of the blow. Naruto had leapt on top of him recklessly, one knee grinding against his back as he tackled him with a cocky grin. "Heh, you're way too easy….lily-livered swabbie."

"Yosh! Captain, I come to fight alongside your brave and noble spirit!"

All eyes turned briefly to rest on the energetic figure rushing towards them, sword hanging forgotten by his side as he threw himself bodily against Naruto, knocking the poor man off Neji.

"Lee!" Kiba shouted, audibly relieved. The youth saluted him briefly, still sprawled on top of a struggling Naruto. Kiba grinned. "Cellar?" he mouthed. Lee nodded vigorously and flashed a brilliant smile. Kiba turned back to face his own opponent, relieved that the two women were safe. He lunged forwards, slashing out with his sword and finding himself parrying blows with the man with the lazy, drawling accent. Back and forth they sparred, alternatively gaining and losing ground as they attempted to hack off the other's arm (or any other body part – neither were particularly picky about it). Kiba suddenly leapt forwards, bringing his sword against the man's neck; his opponent swung his own cutlass sharply up, blades locking firmly together. They held the contact for a long, tense moment, both unwilling to back away. His wrist started to throb painfully but he merely gripped his sword even tighter, glaring at the strange, spiky haired man.

"Shikamaru!" Suddenly Ino appeared, long blonde ponytail whipping around her shoulders as she knocked Kiba's sword away, sending it clattering onto the ground. He immediately lunged down to retrieve his weapon and the man glared balefully at her.

"Stay out of this, Ino." He held his cutlass between his teeth as he grabbed the protesting woman and dragged her back, pushing her behind him. "Don't be so troublesome."

"I just saved your sorry ass, you ungrateful jerk!"

"Tch. Women shouldn't have to fight." Shikamaru didn't even bother to look back at her before he set upon Kiba, surprising him with an uncanny speed. He seemed to blend into the shadows, using them to his advantage as he slunk around, tracing dizzy circles around the Inuzuka. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ino storm off furiously, punching one of his men in the eye before delivering an angry kick to another in a very sensitive region. Kiba winced as the unfortunate man doubled over onto the ground and Ino kicked him again. The truth was that none of his men knew how to deal with the two aggressive females; they were unaccustomed to the notion of hitting a woman and therefore suffered cruelly at the hands (and feet, and nails, and knives) of these spitting wildcats.

"Shikamaru! Ino!" Tenten yelled, sending a deadly looking battle axe (Neji wondered how she had managed to hide _that_ in her clothes) flying straight at Lee. He managed to veer off to the side and the axe ended up pinning a soldier against the deck instead. "You two get the boat ready, we have to leave soon! Go, now! Shino and I are more than enough to deal with these pox-faced swines. Naruto!" She turned swiftly, nimbly darting out of the way as Neji bore down on her with his sword. "Hurry!" She eyed the stairway meaningfully.

Kiba scowled when Shikamaru suddenly broke off from their duel, seizing Ino from behind. She shrieked but he ignored her, grabbing one of the ropes hanging off the side of the ship and swinging them both down out of sight, bickering voices trailing off as they disappeared from view. He twisted around and saw Naruto suddenly break free from Lee and sprint madly towards the stairway, roughly shoving random soldiers out of the way.

_To find the prisoner_, he realized angrily. He was about to send one of his men to go after him, wanting to stay near the fighting himself, when he suddenly stopped short.

_The prisoner. Kept in the jail...right next to the cellar._

Kiba's eyes widened, the first sign of true fear he had shown during the whole ordeal. _The cellar._

..._...Lady Hinata and Miss Sakura._

Kiba cursed violently and leaped out to give chase. "Neji! I'm going down to protect Lady Hina -"

A long, thin sword suddenly pierced the air in front of him, blade slicing through his coat to cut lightly into his arm. Kiba jerked back, surprised gaze landing on a tall, imposing fellow wrapped in a large grey coat. Half his face was hidden behind a tall collar and his eyes were unfathomably cold, glittering black and hard against his pale skin. The man simply stood there before him, immobile, calmly watching his reaction as Kiba snarled and lifted his sword to strike out. "Get the hell out of my way! I –_oh_- "

Kiba abruptly bent over, clutching at his stomach as an unbearable, sharp streak of pain shot through his body. He suddenly had trouble breathing and rocked backwards, gasping for breath. His eyes trained on the tip of the man's sword, stained a dark red from his blood. The rest of the blade edge was tinted black. _Oh sweet lord …_

"Poison. Not fatal, but I'm afraid you won't be fighting for a while," the man told him quietly, voice detached and flat.

Kiba squinted, struggling to see as his vision started to blur. A low growl rumbled in his throat and he roughly shoved the man away, concentrating all his energy on running after Naruto. His whole body strained forwards as he loped jerkily towards the stairway.

"Don't bother," the man called after him, turning away to slit the throat of a guard in one, efficient flick of his wrist.

Kiba scowled and tumbled down the stairs.


	3. The Coughing Flour Sack

**Edited.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Coughing Flour Sack**

Sakura lifted the candle above her head, spreading its meager light in a vain attempt to see what Lee had locked them away into. The cellar was a long gallery with a narrow pathway cleared down the middle, countless crates and sacks and boxes of supplies stacked high to the ceiling on both sides. Sakura guessed that it must run along the whole length of the ship, but she couldn't be sure – the end of the cellar melted into pitch black where the feeble, flickering light of the candle faded away. The air was dusty and stale; somewhere a bottle of rum had been smashed and the contents were vaporizing slowly, sending its heady scent mixing into the pervading smell of musty wood and mothballs.

Hinata sneezed loudly and immediately clasped both palms against her mouth, horrified. Sakura smiled wanly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure no one could have heard that," she assured the timid woman, reaching for her hand. "Besides, the guard said we would be safe here. No one will find us. And even if they do-" Sakura squeezed Hinata's fingers lightly, grinning, "-I'll be here to protect you."

Hinata could not help but giggle quietly at the idea of Sakura fighting barbarians in her laced, flouncy dress. "You b-better not let cousin Neji see you d-doing that, Miss S-Sakura."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and said nothing, relieved that her friend had relaxed a little.

"Here, let's just stay near the stairs." She guided Hinata down the rest of the steps, settling both of them down onto the very last rung. They sat there in silence, watching the wax slowly run down the rapidly shrinking candle in thick red rivulets. They could hear muffled shouts and the occasional thud of bodies hitting the deck above them but neither spoke, instead clutching at each other's hands so tightly their fingers were drained pale from the strain.

Suddenly Hinata tensed, staring into a particular spot amidst a pile of flour sacks a few feet away. "Did...did that s-sack just _cough?_"

"What?" Sakura immediately looked up warily, but before she could investigate a jarring thud resounded above them, followed by a series of rapid, heavy footsteps growing louder with each passing second. Sakura tensed and grabbed Hinata's elbow. Somebody was running in their direction up in the corridor. They froze, holding their breaths as the footsteps neared, finally coming to a rest right above the trapdoor.

"Oy! Bastard, you in there?" someone hissed loudly.

"What took you so long? I almost thought they'd finished you off." Sakura's eyes widened as another voice suddenly spoke out, barely audible, as if the man was speaking through a wall. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get me out of here."

"The door's only made of wood, why couldn't you break out yourself?"

"It's reinforced steel on the inside. Just pick the locks. Hurry, idiot. They're going to find you soon."

A lot of grumbling issued from above the two petrified women and there was a faint sound of scratching metal. "Nearly there." A grunt. "Heh, these Konohan-issue locks are useless, I only needed to unwind the spring twice." Then a sharp click, followed by a self-satisfied chuckle. "Done!"

A loud, drawn out creaking as a heavy door was swung open.

"Whoa. You look like shit."

"Shut up, idiot." Someone stumbled out into the corridor above them. Sakura glanced worriedly over at Hinata.

"...What are you doing? Oy! Why are you scrabbling on the floor like that?"

"They've put two women down there. We'll take them as hostages so we can get off the ship quickly. "

Sakura's mouth dropped open. _Oh lord. Oh no. Oh no oh no –_

"What? Women? Down there? How do you know?"

"Heard them. One of those incompetent guards was making a complete racket coming down the stairs. Feh. Get out of the way and give me your knife." Fingers were scraping at the wood; someone was fumbling with the lock mechanism of the trapdoor. Hinata gave a broken whimper and Sakura leapt up, heart beating uncontrollably fast in her chest.

"_Run!_" She tried to drag Hinata away, frantically searching for a place to hide. Hinata was frozen to the spot. She tugged harder, desperate, but it was too late. The trapdoor swung open.

Candlelight flooded into the cellar, momentarily disorientating the two women. Sakura squinted up at the two men silhouetted in the square of light at the top of the ladder. The man in front was dark-haired, with a pale, thin face, dirtied and bleeding from the raw skin where he had been shackled. A dark blue shirt with the faded insignia of a fan stitched onto the front pocket hung upon his lean frame, and he wore the black, slightly tattered breeches favoured by common sailors. He stared down expressionlessly at the two of them for a brief moment and Sakura shivered involuntarily.

_His eyes are so cold..._

Suddenly he was beside her in one unbelievably fast, fluid leap down the ladder, missing the rungs completely as he landed barely an inch from her skirts. Sakura cried out as he seized her elbows, twisting her roughly so her back was slammed painfully into his chest.

"Let go! Let _go_ of me!" Sakura shrieked and dug her heels into his foot, twisting out of his grasp in blind panic. "Help us! Guards! Please, someone, _help us!_"

"_Miss Sakura!_"

A faint shout. She jerked her head up, struggling to peer into the corridor. Relief flooded through her when she recognized Kiba's hoarse voice. She could hear footsteps coming their way, but something was wrong – his pace was uneven, he seemed to be stumbling unsteadily rather than running – was he hurt? Sakura bit her lip, frustrated. "Lieutenant Inuzuka! Down here!"

"Shut your mouth, wench." The man's voice was low and dangerous as he hissed softly into her ear. A sudden coldness at her neck told her he was holding a knife to her throat. "I'll kill you if you make another sound." Sakura choked and tried not to whimper as he pressed the blade harder against her neck. His fingers felt blisteringly hot against her skin, leaving scorching trails of heat across her wrists as he slung one arm around her waist, pinning her against his torso. "Naruto, get the other one."

Hinata started and stumbled back, eyes wild as she stared up at the second figure still standing uncertainly in the corridor.

"Sasuke...are you sure we should do this?"

"Just get her, idiot! Do you want to get out of here alive or not?"

"Fine, fine." Naruto raised both hands defensively. "I'll do it. I just don't think it's right, that's all, picking on defenseless women like this," he mumbled sulkily as he stepped carelessly down the ladder.

And tripped.

"Ahhh – curses!" Too late, he saw the smooth puddle of hardened wax that had dripped onto the metal rungs from Sakura's candle; he tumbled down awkwardly, knocking Hinata roughly onto the ground. He ended up sprawled indecently on top of her, arms pinning hers down, chest to chest, face to face. "So sorry, m'lady."

"_Get off her!_" Sakura shrieked at him, blatantly ignoring the knife at her throat. Hinata's mouth was opened slightly as she stared up into his face, lower lip trembling, unable to speak. Naruto peered down at her curiously.

"Are you alright?"

"Idiot! Stop fooling around."

"_Leave my sister alone!_"

..._Sister?_

Naruto scrambled up, gaping into the hidden recesses of the cellar. "Who's there?"

Sakura twisted around under Sasuke's arm. The flour sack which had coughed was definitely alive. In fact, it was now jerking about rather haphazardly, rolling onto the floor in a mess of scattered flour. Suddenly the rough material was ripped open and a thin young woman emerged, long black hair lightly dusted with white.

"How dare you touch her?" she hissed furiously, launching herself at the stunned blonde.

"Hanabi? W-What are y-you - _Hanabi!_ No, don't!" Hinata cried out and pulled herself up, reaching out for her sister.

"Ah, you scoundrels, I've got you now! You -" A hoarse, rasping voice broke off abruptly above them, horrified. Kiba had arrived at the trapdoor just in time to see Hanabi sail through the air towards Naruto, clothed only in the rough fabric of a sailor's outfit many sizes too big for her (and strangely covered in a layer of...snow?) Kiba suddenly felt dizzyingly weak at the knees and he buckled slightly, gasping for breath.

_Hallucinations? This poison is more potent than I would have thought._

"Don't worry, ladies," he mumbled thickly, waving his sword weakly down the ladder. "I'm here to save you." Then the Inuzuka collapsed onto the ground, finally succumbing to the affects of the poison coursing through his veins.

"_Lieutenant!_" Sakura screamed.

"...Feh. How pathetic." Sasuke tightened his grip on the struggling woman in his arms. "Hurry up and deal with her, idiot."

"I'd like to see you try!" Naruto was wrestling with a furious Hanabi; the young woman was clawing at his face, white eyes flashing, ignoring the terrified pleading from her older sister. Naruto tried to back away from her but she pushed forwards against him, kicking at his shins until finally he threw his hands in the air, growling exasperatedly. "Damn it woman, what are you, a banshee?" He dove forwards, ducking under her arms. She twisted around, preparing to pounce on him again. Suddenly he grasped Hinata by the waist and hoisted her over one shoulder, swinging around to face Hanabi. Hinata squeaked.

"There!" he yelled, extremely unsettled by the most unusual aggression of the younger Hyuuga. "If – if you don't want me to hurt her, stay clear away!"

"Put her down!" Hanabi narrowed her eyes, hands clenching into fists. She was, however, forced to stay put and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Heh. Alright, Tenten's waiting. Let's go."

"Took you long enough," Sasuke muttered, heading up the ladder with Sakura still pinned against his chest. She twisted furiously and tried to wrench herself from his grasp but he held on, carrying her easily up into the corridor. In her desperation she kicked out, trying to find a hold on any possible surface; her foot connected briefly with the metal railings on either side, slipped, and caught the candle placed forgotten on the top rung of the ladder. Horrified green eyes followed the small stub of burning wax as it was flipped onto the wooden floor of the cellar, the flames spreading instantly like tendrils of light licking at the paneling.

"Blast it, woman! Look what you've done!" Naruto stepped back hastily, attempting to stamp out the rapidly growing fire.

"Leave it! We don't have time to spare." Sakura could feel the rumbling against her back as Sasuke shouted down to his companion, kicking away the unconscious lieutenant before hurrying forwards through the corridor towards the main stairway.

Naruto cursed loudly and followed, a stunned Hinata still draped over his shoulder. "Wait up, bastard!"

"Hey! Where are you taking my sister?" Hanabi cried out, rushing up the ladder to chase after the two men. She stopped abruptly halfway down the corridor.

..._..Damn it._

She doubled back abruptly, scowling as she dragged the Inuzuka into a sitting position. She could hear the fire crackling below in the cellar as she tucked her shoulder under a limp arm, grunting under his weight before setting off again, lugging him clumsily along as she pushed on.

_You owe me, Inuzuka._

* * *

He was down to two men.

Tenten had kept him and Lee fully occupied as Shino methodically finished off the rest of his soldiers, leaving a trail of the dead or injured scattered like ragdolls across the deck. Neji himself was close to breaking point, scores of thin welts and lacerations opening up across his exposed skin as he flipped backwards, barely missing the heavy metal chains that whipped at his legs. Tenten drew away, snatching up the chains and coiling them around her arm before swinging them out again, this time lashing at Lee from behind. The metal wrapped around his right leg and she tugged down immediately, sending Lee crashing to the ground. Neji ran forwards to help him but she had already slid back, pulling Lee quickly with her as she retreated next to Shino.

"You spared him."

Shino glanced sideways at the panting woman as he parried with the remaining guard. "Who?"

"The Inuzuka."

"...Yes." Tenten looked at him curiously but said nothing as Shino turned back, easily sidestepping an incoming blow. The guard fell forwards from his own momentum and twisted around as he plunged down, slashing out at Shino's legs. Tenten kicked him away casually, throwing the rest of her chains on top of the young man. Lee, still entangled in the other end, was towed half way across the deck again towards his now unconscious comrade, yelling and kicking about his indefatigable youth.

"I'll wait for Naruto. You go help Shikamaru and Ino with the boat."

Shino nodded silently and was gone, one more flickering shadow in the night as he flipped down the side of the galleon. Tenten stepped towards Neji, one hand on her hip. "Listen. If I were you, I'd take whoever is still alive and sail away as quickly as possible before Orochimaru comes along. Trust me: you will not survive if he finds you."

Neji's gaze slid over the unmoving bodies of his men. The stench of blood coppered the air and the polished deck was stained black with blood. His hands clenched the handle of his sword tightly. "I would be a fool to trust you." He shot forwards, barreling towards Tenten with his blade raised high in the air. "I will never let you get away with this!"

"Don't be so stubborn!" Tenten hissed, frustrated by the man's persistence. "Forget about the prisoner! We're going to take him, even if it means killing every single one of you scabby-arsed weasels. We've searched too long to give him up to a handful of pig-headed Konohan fools!" She spun away from his attack, fishing out a short, hooked knife from the side of her pants.

Neji growled. "These Konohan soldiers have given their lives for their sense of duty and obligation. Unlike you and your filthy kind, they are honorable men."

"Stupid, you mean. Duty? Obligation? Are you telling me you truly have no idea who your real enemy is, even after so long?" Tenten sneered at him, flipping backwards as Neji continued to lash out. "Or are you just unwilling to face the truth?"

Neji glared at her. Real enemy? What in heaven's name was this woman talking about? He slid onto the ground, stabbing at her knees as she drove her knife downwards, their blades interlocking with a hiss of quivering steel. "Any enemy of the House of Hyuuga is my enemy. This includes dishonest, repulsive ruffians like your pitiable little group."

"...Oh, sweet Mary." Suddenly Tenten jerked away and Neji careened forwards. "You _really_ don't know what's going on, do you?" She stared incredulously at the Hyuuga as he picked himself off the floor, growling.

"I don't know what you're on about, but your dirty little tricks won't work on me," he informed her, panting for breath. "I'll haul you personally back to face the Hyuugan Council, and then-"

"The Council _is_ your enemy, you fool!" Tenten suddenly cried out, brandishing her knife in the air for emphasis. "I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet!"

"What –"

"Think, Hyuuga! Who do they want to get rid of? Hinata Hyuuga. Who's on board this ship? _Hinata Hyuuga_. Who's _also _on this ship? Sasuke Uchiha. Yes, he is an S-class criminal – or so your worthless, corrupted courts have judged him to be – and yes, the Sunagakurean officials want him. But do you know who _else _wants him? Orochimaru!"

Neji snarled. "What are you implying, woman?"

Tenten almost stamped her foot in frustration. "Your beloved House of Hyuuga set you up for a suicide expedition, fool! They _know_ Orochimaru wants Sasuke - why else do you think they put him on this ship? It would be the perfect way to get rid of their heiress: poor, dear little Lady Hinata, killed brutally during the attack on the _Konohan Maiden_ by Orochimaru's pirate crew during her journey to Sunagakure. What a completely _unexpected_ tragedy! The Hyuugan Council would have gotten away with it hands clean. You and your men are simply sacrificial lambs sent to the slaughter!"

"You're lying!" Neji shouted hoarsely, but his sword was shaking uncontrollably by his side and he grabbed his wrist, trying to steady himself. "You're lying, I know it! Lord Hiashi would never allow it."

"Hiashi is dying, you know that yourself." Tenten just looked at him pityingly. "Run, Hyuuga. Before they get here."

"Who are _you_, then? What are you doing here, if what you say is true?"

Tenten scowled. "We heard from our sources about the Council's plans. Sasuke belongs with us - of course we're not going to let Orochimaru take him."

"But –" Neji paused, eyes narrowing suddenly as two figures suddenly burst out from the stairways, the first carrying a shrieking Sakura at his side, the second with Hinata tossed over one shoulder. Abruptly he turned away from Tenten, sword once more held out threateningly in the air as he strode towards the two men. "Desist! Release them immediately! How dare you touch the ladies, have you no shame?"

"Tenten! The ship's on fire! Let's go!" Naruto shouted, scrambling across the deck to the side of the ship. Hinata was whimpering, draped limply around him like a rag doll.

"Why have you got the women with you?" Tenten screamed at him, picking herself off the ground and hurrying after Neji. "You were supposed to get Sasuke and leave! _Why?_"

"For this." Sasuke suddenly jumped up onto the banisters, hoisting Sakura up effortlessly. Neji was about to follow when he suddenly he dangled her over the edge of the ship, his arm around her waist the only thing keeping her from plunging down to the icy waters. "Stay away, _Hyuuga_, or else she becomes Davy Jone's newest bride." He swung her around threateningly and she choked back a sob, squeezing her eyes shut in terror.

"You-" Neji clenched his hands furiously as he was forced to watch Naruto clamber up next to Sasuke.

"Ta!" Naruto waved at the captain cheerfully before grabbing a rope and jumping off the banisters, one hand clutching Hinata firmly to his shoulder. Sasuke sneered at Neji and lightly kicked himself off the railings, following him down. Neji ran over and glared down at the two men as they landed onto a small rowing boat floating at the side of his ship. Ino, Shikamaru and Shino were already down there waiting to row off. Suddenly Tenten appeared by his side, twisting herself over the banisters.

"Wait up!" And then she too descended into the dark, expertly sliding down the damp face of the ship. Neji growled in frustration.

"Hinata!"

He swung around and was shocked to see a floury Hanabi rush towards him, clumsily towing an unconscious Kiba behind her.

"_Lady Hanabi? _What are you doing here?"

"Get out of my way!" She dropped Kiba by his feet and grabbed a rope. Neji stared.

"What are you thinking? It's too dangerous!"

"The ship is burning. You better not leave the Inuzuka behind."

"Leave him behind?"

"You're coming, aren't you?" Hanabi glared at him before leaping off the side. Neji gaped at her, stunned, before clenching his jaw and grasping Kiba by the collar of his coat. He hoisted the man over the edge before climbing over himself, tugging dubiously at a rope to test its strength.

"... ..Right."

And he jumped off into the dark.


	4. An Unexpected Bargain

** Edited.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: An Unexpected Bargain**

A pale hand hung elegantly over twisted brass banisters, bejeweled fingers circled casually around a gilded spyglass.

"My, my...looks like they got there before us, Kabuto." His voice was smooth and silky, slithering quietly across the polished timbers of the main deck. A figure detached itself from the shadows and drifted towards the speaker, a hand reaching up to push a small pair of glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Captain...?"

Slick dark hair fell heavily down his back as Orochimaru turned to face his first mate. "Tell Tayuya to let down the sails. It's time to find our dear little Uchiha."

* * *

Neji was halfway down the side of the galleon when he realized that he had just committed what was quite possibly the most foolish act in his young life. Not only had he abandoned his ship (never mind the fact that it was burning) and his men (he could only hope now that Lee would be able to extract himself from the chains and save himself), but he was, at this very moment, willingly descending into a band of bloodthirsty ruffians led by a wench with an unhealthy liking for sharp objects. Dear god, he'd just have to keep Kiba out of the way when he battled them all to save Lady Hinata and Miss Sakura...

"Oh, hell! The banshee's coming down! Quick, hide me!"

"Give her back _right now!_" A soft thud as bare feet landed on thin wood.

"Naruto, who is this troublesome woman?"

"Dunno, some demented lass wi- owww! In heaven's name, woman, get off me!"

From the commotion below Neji could tell that Hanabi had already landed onto the rowing boat. He peered downwards but could only make out two vague shapes rushing about haphazardly below him as he slid jerkily down the rope, one arm slung tightly around the heavy weight of his unconscious lieutenant. He was swinging rather dangerously from side to side and tried to steady himself by pushing off the side of the ship with his boots, but the wood was uncompromisingly wet and he slipped, pale eyes widening as he abruptly fell the last few feet.

"Oy, watch out," a voice by his head intoned uninterestedly as Neji landed painfully onto the rowing boat, half draped over the side. Kiba had dropped like a stone into the middle of the small, rather grumpy band of pirates and now lay sprawled out on his back, still out cold.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?" Sasuke eyed him, irritated, as he leaned against the side of the boat, arms still wrapped around Sakura. One hand was firmly clasped over her mouth, muffling her indignant cries. "Here, you take her for a while. I'll deal with him." He shoved Sakura at Shikamaru, who was stretched out lazily on Neji's left. Neji immediately pulled himself fully onto the boat and flipped onto one knee, hand reaching instinctively down to his scabbard.

_Oh, hell –_

His sword was gone, most likely having slipped out during his fall. Neji silently cursed his fate but promptly settled into a boxing stance, tilting alarmingly to the left due to the tipsiness of the small boat. Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

"Feh." He lunged forwards with surprising speed, arms outstretched as if to push Neji by the shoulders out of the boat and into the water. Neji ducked reflexively, ponytail swinging around as his knees bent and he bowed his head to avoid the blow - only to be caught full on by the sudden upwards jerk of his opponent's leg. Neji realized too late that Sasuke had merely been feinting and had no time to move away when his knee rose in a quick, fluid movement and struck his jaw, sending him lurching dizzily sideways. He shot out an arm to balance himself and Sasuke moved in again, this time drawing out his knife and aiming it menacingly at his throat.

"Stop it!" A normally sweet voice snarled from behind Sasuke, trembling with rage. The convict was suddenly yanked back by the collar and tugged to the floor, a furious Sakura glaring down at him, having escaped a half-hearted Shikamaru's clutches moments before. Her green, frothy dress was ripped down one side but she appeared not to notice, all her terrible anger focused on the unfortunate man at her feet, chest heaving. "Oh, I'm really going to let you have it now," she informed him indignantly before raising a heeled, delicate little foot and kicking the stunned man square in the ribs. Sasuke growled and grabbed her by the ankles but she shook him off impatiently and resumed her vicious assault. "This is for Lady Hinata!" A well placed stab with her pointy heel. "This is for Lieutenant Inuzuka!" Another kick, this time aimed at his stomach. "And this – " she raised her skirts elegantly and stamped down on his chest, "- this, is for daring to touch me so indecently!"

"Are you crazy?" Sakura was yanked away by Ino, who clamped both arms around the struggling woman before dragging her back to an irritated Shikamaru. "He can kill you before you take another breath, you silly bint!" Sasuke picked himself up angrily, glaring at his pink haired assaulter before turning back to face Neji. The Hyuuga was ready now and the two men faced each other, sizing each other up arrogantly.

"Oh for godsake. Leave him alone."

A small hand landed on Sasuke's shoulder and tugged him back. Sasuke stumbled briefly before shrugging Tenten off, obviously annoyed and a little embarrassed. "What _now_?"

"I said, leave him _alone_. Naruto, get a grip on yourself. Shino, grab her," Tenten snapped at her companions waspishly. Shino immediately shot out an arm and dragged a yelling Naruto, complete with a furious Hanabi currently hanging off his back, down by his side. Before they could protest, he had pinned both against the side of the boat with one long arm. In his haste to get away from Hanabi Naruto had pulled Hinata in front of him, tucked tightly against his chest, from where Shino now extracted her calmly to settle her trembling form protectively on his other side.

"Eh, Tenten! What are you doing, saving the Hyuuga jerk's sorry ass? Let's just kick him and _this monster_ – " Naruto glared darkly at Hanabi before turning back to whine plaintively at Tenten, "- right down to Davy Jone's locker!"

"Hush!" Tenten scowled. "Forget about them. Hyuuga!" She rounded on Neji, who was still perched at the edge of the boat. Neji found himself instinctively standing to attention and frowned.

"Sit down and behave yourself. _Now_," Tenten ordered. Neji's face remained a perfect study of detachment and poise but he internally he blanched, wounded pride hissing at this woman's impudence. How dare she order him, Neji Hyuuga, around like an imbecile?

_Not that being a Hyuuga matters anymore._

He narrowed his eyes and swept the thought aside for later. Saving Lady Hinata and Miss Sakura came first.

Tenten grit her teeth. "You're completely outnumbered, Hyuuga. Your trusty lieutenant – " she jabbed disdainfully at Kiba's prone body with a bare foot, "- is out cold. It's six against one. Now sit down."

Neji glared at her but lowered himself down reluctantly onto the bottom of the boat, unsure of what she was playing at. Tenten relaxed slightly and moved closer to him, six pairs of eyes watching her curiously as she leaned down to face him, one corner of her mouth tugging up in what looked suspiciously like a smirk.

"Alright. I'm only going to make this offer once, so you better listen up. Orochimaru's crew is coming. Now, I can either throw you all off the boat, where you would either drown, die from the cold, or be killed by Orochimaru when he arrives; or, you can sit still and behave, and we'll take you and the women with us when we leave. Even if you escape, the Hyuugan Council will only find another way to kill Hinata off, so I'd say your best bet for survival would be to follow us back to our ship. What say you then, Captain?"

Six pairs of eyebrows rose at her words. Naruto began to protest but Shino smoothly clamped a hand over his mouth, effectively silencing the blonde. Shikamaru simply scowled and turned away. "How troublesome."

Neji stared at the woman in front of him, silently perplexed. Why was she offering to help them? Perhaps she was planning to sell them off as slaves once they became her prisoners. He had heard from a fellow captain some time ago that the labour black market had been doing extremely well recently.

He coughed and shook his head. "And what are you getting from this arrangement?" he asked her suspiciously. He was rather torn between wanting to agree to her offer – it being the only way he could think of where the ladies, Kiba and himself could have a remote chance of survival – and the fact that she was a barbarian, a violent, utterly unfeminine woman who had just directed an attack against his ship and was now offering them a way out.

Tenten shrugged. "Extra hands on deck? The chance to see one of the proud, idiotic Hyuuga in servitude?" She grinned.

Neji glowered at her and was about to retort with something noble about honour and never serving barbarians when he suddenly caught sight of Hinata's expression. She was half buried under the crook of Shino's arm but he could vaguely make out her eyes, glimmering with tears as she stared at the scene before her, looking every inch the forlorn, lost little maiden.

He clenched his jaw. This was just a chance he'd have to take. "I...I accept."

Tenten nodded, lips twitching up in a satisfied smile. It disappeared a split second later when she abruptly turned around and glared at her crew. "Well?" she demanded, hands at her hips. "What are you waiting for? Get rowing!"

* * *

A salty sea wind picked up as they made their way across the waves, the _Konoha Maiden_ gradually disappearing into a small, smouldering blur in the distance. Shikamaru, Sasuke, Shino and Naruto rowed wearily, the oars dipping silently in and out of the dark water as the boat bobbed up and down. Neji refused to look back at his burning ship, keeping his head lowered resolutely and eyes firmly focused on the creaking floor as he fingered his cufflinks, deep in thought.

Tenten settled herself down next to Shikamaru. "Want me to take over?" she offered quietly, glancing at him sideways.

"Forget it. I'm not that much of a lazy ass to make a woman row," he muttered. Tenten rolled her eyes but said nothing, keeping her eyes fixed on the horizon. _Thank god, they're not here yet._

"He's not _that_ good looking, is he?"

Tenten turned to face Shikamaru, surprised. "What?" she hissed at him, voice carefully lowered.

Shikamaru continued to row. "The Hyuuga. You think he's good looking."

"I don't!" Tenten whispered back, outraged. "What makes you think I do?"

"You saved his ass."

"So? We needed more people to help out on board, anyway."

"Heh. Right. Whatever you say, Tenten."

Tenten huffed and looked away crossly, cheeks faintly flushed. "Look, I just felt sorry for him. Fool that he is, he really had no idea that the Hyuugan Council had betrayed him, can you imagine that? Besides, he may be a useful addition to the crew. You saw the way he fought. He's good."

"And dashingly handsome. And a gentleman," Shikamaru added wryly.

"...Shut up."

Hanabi shivered involuntarily. She had wanted to sit next to Hinata but her sister had been placed right next to Naruto, who glowered at her whenever she even so much as moved a finger towards them. Tenten had ordered her to stay put, not wanting to have another brawl break out in the middle of the boat, crowded as it was. Hanabi had been forced to comfort herself with the fact that Sakura was right by Hinata and could probably prevent any jerks from taking advantage of her, but she muttered ominously under her breath anyway, annoyed.

The cold wind swept low across the water, stinging her eyes. The heat from her previous frenzied activity was finally ebbing away from her body and she shivered, huddling against the closest, warmest body she could find on the boat. Which just so happened to be the Inuzuka's. She leaned lightly towards his warmth, absently stroking a bronze medal pinned near his shoulder with a thumb.

"Ah, there she is!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, his voice tinged with pride. "The _Kyuubi_. Beauty, isn't she?" He reached across Shino and nudged Hinata. Hinata blinked, stuttered, and lapsed into a panicked silence at the brief contact; the others turned to face the direction he was pointing in. A small, rather battered looking ship rose from the horizon, dirty, tattered sails half lowered. It was still too far away for Hanabi to make out its features clearly, but she had the impression of a weathered figurehead of a snarling fox, snout thrust out at the front. Nine tails ran from the figurehead to almost half way down the length of the ship. Above, on a thin, reedy excuse for a main mast, a long strip of bright red cloth whipped about in the wind, and when Hanabi squinted she could just about make out a fox's head painted in black at the very center of the rippling fabric.

"That old thing?" she muttered, clearly unimpressed. Naruto turned and glared at her murderously.

"If you don't like it, feel free to stay on _this_ old thing for the rest of the night!"

Neji glanced at her warningly, his expression still preoccupied. Hanabi rolled her eyes but said nothing. After a few moments of awkward, miserable silence, she sighed and shifted closer to Kiba, looking down just in time to see his eyes slowly open. He blinked blearily up at her, looking tired and confused.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was getting worried I'd have to carry you around later."

Kiba blinked again as his vision slowly focused onto the young woman looming over him, pale skin and luminous eyes contrasting sharply with the inky sky. Then he reached out a slightly shaking finger and poked her shoulder experimentally.

"You're real," he informed her gravely.

"Why yes, I am."

"...Holy mother of -" Suddenly Kiba cursed under his breath and closed his eyes again, head lolling back as if in defeat. "Lady Hanabi – why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be back home or something."

"I ran away."

"I see."

Silence for a few more moments. They rocked from side to side, buffeted by increasingly choppy waves.

"...Why?" Kiba groaned.

Neji turned to face her and narrowed his eyes, his attention caught now. Hanabi coughed lightly when she felt Hinata and Sakura also shift their attention to her. "Well," she began rather sheepishly. "You see...a few days ago, I was...er...hanging around... the conference halls back at the palace..."

Neji raised an eyebrow and Hanabi flushed. "Fine, fine! I was trying to hear what the Elders were making such a fuss about. Honestly, I knew they were planning to send Hinata away to Sunagakure, but I had always felt that something else was happening. So I bribed the guards and hid behind the door during one of their secretive little meetings and I overheard that they were planning to use Orochimaru to kill off Hinata. Imagine that!" she hissed angrily. "Killing off my own sister! And Father could do nothing about it. It was absolutely ridiculous. Of _course_ I had to stop them, but who would have believed me over those pompous stuffed shirts?" She pouted. "And I tried to find Hinata or Neji before you all left, but you were always too busy with preparation and stuff, and then the Elders made you leave one day earlier than planned..."

Kiba muttered something incoherently. "And?" he prompted, sounding vaguely horrified.

"Well, I only found out you were leaving that very morning. What else could I have done?" Hanabi snapped defensively. "I stole some sailor's clothes –" she picked at the loose shirt hanging off her thin frame, "- and got through the docks. Then I crept onboard when no one was watching. Stupid Royal Guards, they never noticed that I had managed to sneak into the cellar." She scoffed, ignoring the way Neji immediately stiffened. "I was planning to come out when you were too far out to turn back, and then tell you about Orochimaru...but then this happened."

"Ah yes...then this happened." Kiba nodded understandingly.

Suddenly he froze and his eyes shot open. "Oh dear god! The intruders! Are they still here?" He jerked up and gazed wildly around, eyes widening to the size of saucers when he saw Tenten and her companions perched nonchalantly around the tipsy little boat. "What the hell is going on?" he yelled frantically, struggling onto his feet.

Sasuke reached over calmly and punched his head. The blow was unexpectedly heavy and Kiba, still weak from the poison, tottered about for a few moments before he collapsed by Hanabi's side.

"Hey! Look what you've done!" Hanabi snapped at Sasuke as she bent over to inspect his once more unconscious form. "I'll really have to carry him around now!"

Sasuke snorted and turned his attention back to glaring venomously at a fuming Sakura.

* * *

"Here, I'll help you up." Naruto offered a hand to Hinata. He still felt slightly guilty at having handled her so roughly back on the _Konoha Maiden_ and was now trying to make it up to the terrified little woman by being as nice as he could be (without ruining his reputation as a fearsome sailor of the seven seas, of course). Hinata shrank away and Naruto sighed. "I won't bite you, lass," he assured her, before reaching out and grabbing her hand firmly. She let out a faint squeak as another hand reached around her waist and picked her up, lifting her bodily up the rope ladders that were suspended from the _Kyuubi_.

"Hey, get your hands off her!" Hanabi hissed quietly, furtively sneaking a glance at Tenten. The ship had turned out to be even more battered and worn out close up. She wondered how it even managed to stay afloat as she lugged Kiba up behind her, muttering foully about stupid Inuzukas and their frail constitutions.

The rest were already on board the ship and warm lights began to appear from the deck. "Choujiiiiii! I'm hungryyyyyy! Have you got any food left from dinner?" Naruto's plaintive wailing drifted down to the rowing boat where Tenten and Neji still stood, waiting for Sakura and Sasuke to climb aboard.

"Help her, Sasuke," Tenten ordered. Sasuke frowned and looked away; Sakura sniffed and gathered her dress up in one hand, the other grabbing onto the rope.

"I don't require assistance from _him_."

Tenten sighed and turned to Neji. "You go help her – _oh!"_

Neji's head jerked up in surprise as a metal hook suddenly whipped between him and Tenten from behind, the trailing rope wrapping thickly around her knees. Tenten opened her mouth to scream but it was too late; the rope was pulled taut and she was dragged abruptly into the sea before a sound could leave her throat. It was all she could do to keep her head in the air as she struggled wildly amidst the waves, eyes bright with fear as she was pulled further and further away, drawn ceaselessly into the darkness.

Eighteen years of training came into effect. Neji never stopped to think when he shrugged off his coat and dived into the icy waters, his formerly white shirt clinging slickly to his arms as he swam swiftly in her direction. Sasuke was about to follow when suddenly he saw another hook fly at them through the air, hurtling straight for the rowing boat; he turned and lunged forwards to shove Sakura aside but the rope had already been flung around her and a moment later she, too was tugged down with a scream. Terrified green eyes met glittering onyx before her head was submerged under the surface, wet hair trailing in dark pink strands through the water amidst swathes of billowing fabric.

Sasuke cursed angrily and leaped in after her.


	5. Dead Man's Ichiraku

**Edited.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Dead Man's Ichiraku**

The water was cold, too cold, but Tenten could only feel the burning sensation that ripped down her side, the metal hook embedded in her left hip. She dipped her fingers below her knees and fumbled with the thick coils of rope that were tangled around her legs, all the while straining to keep her mouth above the surface. A sudden jerk on the rope tugged her under and she gulped in huge, choking mouthfuls of sea water, the acrid, salty tang washing over her tongue and grating the back of her throat. She pulled blindly at the coarse fibre to no avail, and it was too late, she was choking, her lungs were on fire and she was gradually losing feeling from the waist down, a muteness of the body that crept calmly towards her spine even as she thrashed in the water.

After a while there was only darkness, the numbing cold and an acute pain thrumming in her chest that told her she was going to die.

And then suddenly her body was stretched taut, her arm hauled around a broad set of shoulders and she was bursting out of the water, sucking in the blessed air with long, shuddering gasps. Strong fingers roughly brushed soaking strands of hair away from her eyes before reaching forwards and grabbing the trailing rope. Now both of them were being towed towards god knows where. Tenten blinked, leaning her head back briefly to gaze up at a lightly stubbled chin, sharp, high cheekbones and a pair of eyes that glinted silver in the dark. "Hyuuga?" she mumbled thickly.

"Hn." Neji was shivering from the cold, the thin shirt that stuck wetly to his skin doing nothing to warm him. He wondered why he was fool enough to jump into the water to save a woman who had just moments ago threatened to kill him, but decided to worry about that later when he realized that he had no knife or anything sharp to cut the rope.

"Hurry! We're too close to their ship already!" Sasuke was a few feet away, an ashen faced Sakura tucked to his side, and Neji realized that she had probably been dragged away as well. She was free from the rope but the waves were growing stronger and both were struggling with the billowing skirts that were dragging her down. Sasuke finally dipped under the water and slashed the material away with a small dagger before resurfacing, shaking wet hair out of his eyes and glaring at Neji. "Here!"

Neji reached out an arm just in time to catch the blade as it arced through the air. He twisted around and tugged Tenten backwards, pulling the rope taut before slashing downwards. The blade cut through the fibre messily and suddenly the two of them were left adrift in the middle of the sea, grasping onto each other for dear life.

"We have to get back," Tenten muttered painfully, still finding it difficult to breathe. "Orochimaru…..It's him. They're here."

Neji looked up, gaze following the trailing rope towards the horizon. He could see nothing at first, only the murky water and the sky. "Where?" he asked, brushing dripping hair over his shoulders and wiping a soaked sleeve over his eyes in a futile attempt to rub away the stinging sea spray.

"Look!" Tenten replied urgently, twisting around to grab his shoulders face on. "Oh hell, it's too near already. We have to swim back, now!"

Neji opened his eyes and blinked. There, on the smudged darkness of the horizon, a black silhouette had suddenly appeared against the grey backdrop of the early morning.

It was a hulking monster of a ship. He could vaguely make out the huge bow, the massive, rippling sails, the towering masts topped by a long, blood-red flag. He narrowed his eyes and peered at the insignia, his heart sinking. A black skull leered at them on the fabric as it whipped about in the wind, twin snakes slithering between the eye holes and gaping, sneering jaw. The image was horribly familiar, but only through the stories mothers told their children back in Konoha, the fearful reports of blood and destruction from those in the Royal navy fortunate enough to have seen this sign of death and lived.

It was unmistakable: this ship, now growing steadily larger as each second ticked by, was none other than _The Akatsuki_, the vessel captained by Orochimaru, deadliest pirate of the seven seas. Even Neji, proud as he was (as he used to be, he reminded himself savagely) of the Royal Navy of Konoha, knew and respected the power of this most infamous of villains.

"What are you waiting for? Swim!" Tenten weakly grabbed his sleeve and tried to tug him away. Neji tore his gaze from the approaching ship to wrap an arm back around Tenten's shoulders, kicking his legs out beneath them. Tenten seemed to be too weak to swim and so Neji hugged her to himself, towing her with him as he hurriedly began to cross the stretch of water.

Sasuke was nearly back to the ship, Sakura flung over the man's back as he swam against the waves. A small crowd was assembling on deck the _Kyuubi_, Shikamaru and Naruto sliding back down to the rowing boat to throw ropes out into the water. Neji heaved his body forwards through the waves, arms dipping in and out of the water, in and out, in and out -

When he finally reached the rowing boat Tenten was immediately lifted from his arms. He blinked blearily and hoisted himself up, stumbling down next to her prone body with an exhausted sigh.

"Tenten!" A horrified scream. Ino had arrived and was peering down at the two of them, pale blue eyes wide with concern. Neji lifted his head wearily. What was wrong _now_? He twisted his neck to check on the woman lying by his side. Her face was deathly pale but she was conscious, if barely.

Then he shifted his gaze downwards and saw the bloody gash that opened up her left side, a metal hook still embedded deep into her waist.

"….. Tenten?" He stared on, shocked, as she was lifted gently and carried away.

"Feh. Get up, you useless sonnofabitch." Neji winced as he was kicked unceremoniously by a dripping Sasuke, and he picked himself up tiredly.

"Orochimaru's com-"

"We know. Let's get going," Shikamaru interrupted tersely, gazing worriedly after Tenten as she was hoisted up to the _Kyuubi_ by Naruto.

"Is Miss Sakura –"

'She's alright. Her dress took most of the damage, not her. Scratches only, Ino's taking care of her," the man told him shortly, bending down to secure the rowing boat to the _Kyuubi_.

There was chaos on the top deck. Sakura was resting against the stairways, silent and trembling with cold. Ino had wrapped a thick blanket around her and now was applying what looked like ointment on her arm. Sasuke was helping Shino pull down the sails when Shikamaru and Neji pulled themselves onboard.

"Can you steer?" Shikamaru glanced at him sideways. Neji glared at him, drawing himself up to his full height despite the fact that he was currently soaking and frozen to the bone.

"I am a _captain_. Of _course_ I can ste-"

"Good." Shikamaru suddenly grasped him by the shoulders and pushed him to the front of the ship, towards a steering wheel that stood on a small, battered platform. "Get steering. Port side, sharp turn. Now."

"What?"

But Shikamaru was already gone, hurrying across the deck with surprising agility. Neji gripped the smooth, weathered wood of the wheel, eyeing it doubtfully. It looked as if it were barely attached to the ship.

"_Akatsuki, 200 feet starboard!"_

Neji turned around, staring up at Naruto, who had scampered up to the lookout perch on the mainmast. He was currently gesturing frantically at the Hyuuga, arms circling leftwards like a windmill. _"Starboard!_Now_, Captain Idiot!"_

Neji gritted his teeth and turned back to the wheel.

"_Akatsuki, 180 feet starboard!"_

His fingers gripped the worn wood, wrapping around the stubbed handles.

"_Akatsuki, 160 feet starboard!"_

Neji spun the wheel abruptly to the left, the circle spinning furiously on the central pivot. The ship immediately lurched to the side, tilting hazardously towards the waves. Naruto yelled out, clutching onto the sails as he nearly fell out of his perch. Neji ignored him, concentrating instead on guiding the ship as it swung away from the fast approaching _Akatsuki. _The _Kyuubi_ was smaller than anything he had ever steered and it took him a few seconds to adjust to its volatile movements. A sudden gush of wind blew past from behind and he could hear the sound of heavy fabric falling as the main sails were let loose.

And then they were off, and Neji felt a subtle thrill run down his back as the _Kyuubi _sped forwards, sailing smoothly through the waves. "Where are we going?" he shouted over his shoulder. Shikamaru appeared by his side, flinging a rusty compass onto the steering wheel.

"Just keep going North West," he instructed.

"North West?" Neji frowned. "There's nothing in that direction but sea."

"Don't argue with me," Shikamaru snapped at him testily. Neji scowled but twisted the steering wheel again. Shikamaru was staring past him to where the _Akatsuki _was still chasing after them. Thankfully the _Kyuubi _had the advantage of being relatively light and so traveled fast enough to keep a safe distance in front of their pursuers, though Neji doubted they could carry on like this forever. He was about to point this out when Shikamaru suddenly tilted his chin up, peering at the cloudless sky.

"It's going to be misty today," he mused cryptically.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it."

"Shikamaru!" They both turned to find Ino running towards them.

"How is Tenten?" Shikamaru asked her immediately when she reached them, gasping for breath. She shook her head, cheeks stung red from the cold.

"She's losing too much blood. We got the hook out but there's nothing we can do. Chouji offered to stitch her up but the wound is too wide and I'm afraid it might get infected," the blonde informed him breathlessly. "I don't know if she'll make it, Shikamaru."

"We'll take her to Tsunade."

"What? Now? But Orochimaru will follow us! He'll find the Ichi-" Suddenly she paused, swinging around to stare at Neji. "What about _him_?" Neji frowned when she stabbed at his chest with a sharp nail. "Are we taking _him_ with us?"

"Yes."

"What? _Why? _How can we trust him? You know the Hyuuga, pompous stuffed shirts, the lot of them."

"Tenten has decided to spare his life."

"But –"

Shikamaru pushed her away gently. "Go back to her. It's too late, we're heading for Ichiraku already."

"But Orochimaru –"

"It's going to be misty today," Shikamaru told her firmly before twisting her around and marching her across the deck. "Now go look after Tenten."

Neji stared after them, and then back at the compass. So they were going North West, to 'Ichiraku'. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, gazing out into the breaking dawn. The skies remained perfectly clear, glowing faintly near the horizon. Mist? Pfft. Right.

...What the hell was Ichiraku anyway?

Six hours later, Neji finally appreciated Shikamaru's mysterious skills as a weatherman. Sometime in the early morning a few wisps of vapour had begun drifting towards them from the North. This phenomenon had continued, the mist spreading out steadily until now, when Neji found it difficult to see anything three feet away from his chest. Highly irritating, considering the fact that he was still attempting to steer this rickety wreck of a ship with no real sense of where he was heading. As far as he knew, North West on any map was just a plain stretch of sea, halfway in the Hidden Straits between West Konoha and Sunagakure. There could be nothing there.

"We've lost them." Shikamaru appeared, sagging tiredly onto the steering wheel. Neji shot out a hand to stop the ship from swinging around violently.

"Orochimaru?"

"No, your mother."

Neji ignored the jibe. "How far is it still to 'Ichiraku'?"

"Actually," Shikamaru stood up straight, stretching lazily, "we're going to hit land in three seconds if you don't turn port this moment."

"...What?" Neji started, spinning the steering wheel furiously. "How can you tell?"

Shikamaru shrugged, loping away casually. "We know this area well. You can stop the ship now."

Neji winced when he heard the tell-tale screech of wood scraping against rock, the whole ship shuddering as the _Kyuubi _veered to the left before suddenly lurching backwards, tilting slightly as Shino and Sasuke threw down heavy iron anchors. "Where are we? I don't see a thing," he muttered warily, peering out into the mist. He watched as the crew gathered on deck. A large man lumbered on deck from the stairways, carrying Tenten in his thick, sturdy arms. The others crowded around the now unconscious Tenten with consternation but he shooed them away, stepping forwards as Shino deftly set out the rope ladders. Sakura and Hinata loitered on deck, helping Hanabi prop Kiba against a thick coil of rope before being ushered down by a flustered Naruto.

Shikamaru turned and gestured to him impatiently. "Come on. We're getting off."

"You mean there's land down there?" Neji asked skeptically as he stepped down.

There was. In fact, as Neji found a few seconds later, they were on the roughly cobbled steps of a seemingly deserted dock. _An unmapped island?_ he wondered briefly before Shikamaru tugged sharply at his sleeve and the group took off, heading inland. Neji's limited perception of their surroundings expanded as they hurried up a crooked street, the mist thinning slightly so that he could just about make out various low, squatter-hut like establishments that lined the road on both sides. Shadowy figures leaned casually against half open doorways, a flash of a silver blade here, a gleam of a gold tooth there. He could feel their eyes boring into his back as he followed the others but mostly they kept silent, watching them from under jaunty, dirtied sailor caps (or in some cases, behind a grimy eye patch).

All in all a highly suspicious bunch of vagabonds, Neji decided darkly. He glared as an old man, originally smoking a pipe nonchalantly against the wall of an abandoned church, stepped forwards and barred their way with a well-placed wooden peg of a left leg.

"Aye. Who goes there?" he called out in a low, scratchy voice that spoke of years of whisky and salty air, peering at them through the mist with a rheumy pair of eyes.

"It's me. Chouji." The large fellow carrying Tenten stepped forwards, holding out the injured woman for the man's inspection before pulling her back protectively against his chest. "I'm with the crew. Tenten's injured, we're here to find Tsunade."

The old man's head shot up at the mention of Tenten's name. "Miss Tenten? Hurt? Poor girl. Please, hurry through, hurry through now..." He backed away quickly, urging them on with his wooden leg. "Tell Tsunade I'll be up to find her later, will you? Thank ye...hurry now..."

Chouji nodded and the group carried on, picking up their speed. The street began to climb uphill, the buildings thinning and slowly fading away until only thick tangles of wild vegetation remained. Eventually the cobbled stone came to an end and they began making their way across a well worn dirt track; a few minutes on they came to a fork in the road. A battered, hand-painted sign hung from a tree above their heads, the instructions 'Ichiraku: turn right' scrawled in thick red paint above a poorly drawn image of a cooked fish.

Neji raised an eyebrow when Chouji turned to the left, but said nothing. The path became even steeper and by now Naruto was helping a stumbling Hinata along, occasionally lifting her bodily over his shoulders during particularly rough stretches of ground.

They turned a sharp corner and suddenly Neji could see a faintly glimmering light in the distance, twinkling merrily behind a sprawling, overgrown mess of brambles. The light grew brighter as they drew near and he could hear traces of music and laughter wafting towards them, until finally he made out a small inn at the end of the path, the walls gaudily painted in thick stripes of orange and yellow. A faded wooden banner hung on rusty hinges above the doorway, with the name of the establishment - 'Dead Man's Ichiraku' - painted in beautiful, black calligraphy.

"Tsunade-Granny! We're home!" Suddenly Naruto bounded forwards, shouting eagerly. The rest of the group also seemed to relax when they saw the building, with its green shutters swung wide open to allow inviting glimpses of a warm hearth and a cheerful fire.

"Naruto? Is that you?" A rather cross, but unmistakably feminine voice drifted out from the inside of the inn. Naruto nearly broke down the door in his haste to enter and Neji trooped in with the others, glancing around his surroundings uneasily. The room was spacious and brightly lit despite it being early in the morning. The fire in the hearth cast a warm glow over the long tables scattered about the room, at which a few men sat brooding over hefty mugs of ale. A blonde, busty woman was leaning against the wall next to the hearth watching over a bubbling pot of chicken stew, dressed rather indecently in a morning robe and a grubby apron.

"So, you got Sasuke back, did you?" The woman – 'Tsunade' - flicked a pig-tail over her shoulder casually before crossing her arms, a soup ladle sticking out from between her elbows. "Took you quite a while. I thought you were never going to come back, what with – oh!"

Chouji had stepped forwards, gently stretching Tenten out on the nearest table. Tsunade started, jumping up immediately and striding purposefully across the room. "Is that Tenten? What happened? Why is she hurt?" she demanded, brushing cutlery and mugs roughly away to make more space for the injured woman. "Shizune!"

A dark haired woman emerged from a back room, a steaming bowl of stew in her hands. "What is it?"

"Bring medicine and bandages. Quickly, before Tenten bleeds to death on our table!" she commanded. Shizune sucked in a sharp breath and hurried away, reappearing seconds later with an armful of bandages and strange looking glass bottles that clinked together and spilt ominously coloured liquid over her apron. Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto and Shino crowded around the table as Tsunade efficiently ripped away the lower half of Tenten's bloodied shirt, twisting the cork off a spiral glass and pouring the vile smelling contents over the raw wound. Tenten remained unconscious but her features tightened in pain, lips parting as she moaned quietly.

"Will she be alright?" Ino asked desperately.

"The wound's very deep," Tsunade told them grimly, gingerly fingering the edges of the gash. "But she'll live, if that's what you mean. Shizune, pass me the thyme paste. What _happened? _No, Shizune. Thyme. Not toad bile. We need to clean the wound up properly before we apply _that..."_

Neji, Sakura and Hinata edged away as Ino began the process of explaining their little adventure at sea, settling down tiredly on a bench. Neji let out a low sigh of relief as he leaned backwards against a table, secretly glad that Tenten was going to make it. She had seemed to be the only person keeping this bunch of ruffians from tearing him and the ladies into little shreds of high society. He doubted the others would look on him kindly should she die.

There was also the fact that he had been the one to rescue her. It would be rather irritating if she died, after all that effort.

"So. Who are _you?"_

Neji turned around to find himself face to face with a needle. Or rather, a needle sticking out of a mouth, currently curved in a wide, lazy smile. An older man sporting a bright red bandana over shaggy brown hair was sitting on the opposite side of the table, leaning towards him with interest. "The name's Genma. I don't seem to have seen you around before. New?"

Neji nodded stiffly. Suddenly another voice spoke out, this time from his right. "You're with Tenten's crew? That's strange, I thought she was only out to find Sasuke, not new members."

Neji turned around swiftly, immediately on guard. Another man had sidled onto the bench next to him without him noticing. He now leaned casually against the table, watching him under a messy head of silver hair. A cloth mask obscured the lower half of his face from view, and a large eye patch was slung over his left eye.

"We...are not really part of the crew. Not yet. Not officially," Neji informed him coldly. The man raised an eyebrow.

"I see." He nodded, eyeing him for a few more moments before turning away from the Hyuuga. He flipped open a tattered book (on the cover of which was a rather dubious looking, immensely busty woman lounging in nothing but a lacy corset) and perusing its contents with a yawn. "Genma?"

"Kakashi?"

"Get this fellow a drink for me, will you? Tell Kurenai to bring out the strongest ale she's got. My treat."


	6. The Uchiha Treasure

**Chapter 6: The Uchiha Treasure**

Sakura sat herself by the bench closest to the fire, shivering despite having been given a spare change of clothes by Ino on the ship. The blonde had dragged her below deck, efficiently stripping away the layers of sodden silk and lace before scrubbing her down with a fleecy blanket and tossing her a spare set of breeches and shirt. Sakura had stared aghast at the clothes, horrified by the idea of wearing what she considered 'men's clothing' – but Ino had merely snorted, pointing to her own knee-length pants.

"Get used to it," she had muttered, and stalked back up to help Naruto with the sails.

Surprisingly, they fitted well and Sakura had to admit that they were much more comfortable and convenient than her layered dresses. (Not that she'd ever admit this to the other woman, of course). Too bad the shirt was a little on the thin side. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, staring into the flames flickering in the hearth before her and listening half-heartedly to the urgent instructions issued by Tsunade a few tables behind. Hinata was hovering nervously between where Captain Neji was sitting and the impromptu operation table, peering over Naruto's shoulders to watch Tsunade at work with reluctant interest; Sakura decided to let her be, figuring that the very presence of Hanabi standing possessively by her side would deter any possible ill-wishers for the moment.

The soft sound of wood scraping on stone turned her attention to a darker corner of the inn, where Sasuke was now seating himself on an old, rickety chair, looking tired and cold as he leaned heavily back against the wall. He, unlike her, had not had the time to change his clothes and they pressed damp against his pale skin. Sakura blinked, watching him close his eyes and thread long fingers through his messy dark hair with a weary sigh.

So he had been the prisoner on their ship. Sakura had managed to pick up bits and pieces of heated arguments during their little adventure and figured that he had been the reason why Tenten and her crew had attacked.

...Bastard. This was all his fault. Whatever crime he had committed, she was sure he deserved being locked away and packed off to Sunagakure. She sniffed and turned back to face the fire, scrubbing at her arms in a vain attempt to warm herself up.

Sasuke sneezed.

Sakura twitched slightly, glancing furtively over at the man as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with a moody expression. She couldn't really see his face properly but she could make out the angular planes and high cheekbones that made him look almost aristocratic, hard black eyes glittering faintly from the shadows as he stared broodingly at the table before him. His head was tilted haughtily to the side despite his obvious fatigue and Sakura scowled softly, nose creasing in disdain. Arrogant fool. He deserved to be cold and alone and tired and -

Sasuke sneezed again.

Oh, _to hell with this. _Sakura bit her lip and stood up, abruptly pushing her bench away. She could feel several pairs of eyes on her back as she marched forwards to the enormous pot bubbling above the fire, grabbing the ladle and a bowl from the side table nearby and spooning out a large portion of thick, meaty stew. Sasuke himself looked up at her, a little surprised, as she executed a sharp right turn and marched towards him with her features frozen in an icy expression.

"Here." She slammed the bowl down before him.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow at her. "What do you want?"

"Eat. You'll get warmer." Sakura glared at him frostily, wielding a spoon between them as if it was a sword.

"Why – "

"Look. Don't think I'm doing this because I like you, or anything. You're an utter, detestable_ ruffian_ to have handled me so indecently back on the ship, and don't you _dare_ do that again," Sakura huffed, ignoring all the rules of courtesy and protocol that had been ingrained in her since she was born. "And don't think I'm paying for this either. I have no coins, so you're paying for this yourself."

"Then why – "

"Because you saved me," Sakura interrupted him irritably, a faint flush staining across her cheeks. Sasuke stared at her coldly, rather taken back but too proud to show it. She glowered back at him, pink tendrils of hair falling loosely around her face as she began to wonder whether she had been a fool to try to help him. Or maybe he was just an imbecile and did not understand her properly. Yes, that was probably it. She opened her mouth to speak again, drawling out her words slowly. "You. Eat this. It will make you feel better. Hopefully. I don't know what's in it, but it smells alright. Eat. E-A-T –"

Sasuke snorted and reached for the bowl, tugging it closer and plucking the spoon from her clutch. "Hn."

Sakura felt oddly triumphant as she stood and watched him take a few hesitant bites, dark bangs slipping over his eyes when he leaned over the table. Then he lifted his head and glanced coolly up at her, his face a complete and utter blank. "...Why are you still here?"

Sakura blanched. The _nerve_ of this man! She had just fed him, for goodness' sake (she had conveniently forgotten the fact that it was him who would have to cough up the coins to pay for the stew), yet he was still so infuriatingly_ rude_ and hell, she had _no_ idea why she had wanted to help him in the first place. "You could try saying thank you, but I suppose that's too much for _barbarians_ like you," she sniped at him, turning on her heels. "...Goodbye." She squared her shoulders and strode back across the room.

Sasuke watched her retreating figure, a corner of his mouth twitching up in a faint smirk.

Then his sneezed.

* * *

Neji narrowed his eyes at the silver haired man by his side. "No, thank you," he told him coldly. "...I don't drink ale. Only wine."

There was a deep roar of laughter from behind and Neji suddenly found himself shoved against the table, a large hand currently slapping him jovially on the back. "Don't drink ale? What sort of man won't down a coupla gallon's of the good ol' stuff given half the chance? Why, when I was a young'un like you, I chugged it down like water!" Another hearty chuckle, and Neji was pushed further into the wood as friendly slaps rained down on his back. "Hey Kakashi, so who's this new fella we've got here?

Kakashi didn't even bother looking up from his perusal of the (rather dubious) book before him, merely nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Asuma," he murmured vaguely. "Hmm...I don't know. I just wanted to buy him a drink."

"The name is Hyuuga Neji," he told the table before twisting his neck around with as much dignity as possibly and glaring at the offender. "Now kindly detach your hand from my back." Asuma was a bear of a man, large and broad across the shoulders. At first glance he seemed to be a simple sea-farer, clad in a dirty military jacket with several buttons missing, breeches, and a grimy pair of boots – a brute, from head to toe – but there was a hint of a keen intellect in the way he eyed Neji and he could feel the man study him carefully despite the seemingly careless affability.

Asuma grinned, blatantly unaffected by the Hyuuga's cool demeanour. He settled himself heavily onto the bench on his other side, so that Neji was now uncomfortably sandwiched between him and Kakashi. "So, what about that drink then, eh?" Asuma winked at him cheerfully. "Come on, little fella. I'll treat you to one after Kakashi, and then you can tell us somethin' 'bout yerself."

Neji immediately bristled at being called a 'little fella' and was about to retort with some scathing remark when he was cut off mid intake of breath.

"Ah! There's my girl!" Asuma roared, slinging a hairy arm around the waist of a young, dark haired woman who had appeared by their table, clutching a tray with several pints of beer. "Kurenai! I'm home!"

"So I see." The woman smiled wryly, settling down the enormous, frothing glasses before brushing loose curls away from her eyes. Neji noted, surprised, that her eyes were a dark crimson colour, contrasting richly with her glossy black mane.

Asuma slid a glass over to Neji, the golden liquid spilling over and staining the wooden table a dark brown. "Here ya go. Now gulp that down like a man, and there's plenty more where that came from. Isn't there, Kurenai?"

"Yes, Asuma." Kurenai rolled her eyes exasperatedly but traces of amusement were evident in her voice and she punched the man playfully, lips quirking up in a reluctant grin. She turned to Neji, smiling warmly. "Try it. We make our own ale – finest on the whole of Leaf Island."

_Leaf Island? _Neji noted down the name. He had never seen a 'Leaf Island' on any map in his whole career with the Konohan Royal Navy. "No, thank you. I really don't like to –"

"Nonsense!" Asuma declared, banging a huge fist on the table. "Drink up, drink up!"

Genma laughed, needle swinging from side to side. "Now, now, Asuma. Leave the lad alone. If he doesn't want to drink, then he doesn't need to- " He was stopped halfway through when Kakashi abruptly leaned over the table and grabbed him by his shirt collar, dragging his ear to his mask and proceeding to whisper quite loudly to the startled man. Neji twitched when he caught a few words in the otherwise incoherent murmuring: "New man...Tenten brought him back...hurt badly...no idea who he is...get him drunk...interrogate..."

"Excuse me," Neji began, pride ruffled. "I think –"

A sharp, sudden slamming sound drew the collective attention of the entire table to a back corner of the inn. Neji was unpleasantly surprised to see Sakura standing haughtily before the Uchiha, handing him a bowl of steaming stew and a spoon.

"What is Miss Sakura doing?" he hissed quietly, abruptly standing up. "That man is _dangerous_."

"Heh. Don't worry. Sasuke won't hurt her," Genma muttered, just as Kakashi calmly tugged Neji back down onto the seat. Neji frowned sternly at the strange man.

"Sir, I have to go protect my charge."

"Just stay here and let them be. Genma is right, Sasuke won't hurt her," Kakashi told him, idly flicking over a page of his book. Asuma nodded in agreement.

"Aye. Right honourable fella, that Sasuke is. Ya got nothin' to worry about, lad, nothin' at all."

"He is a _criminal_, originally bound for execution in Sunagakure," Neji grit out irritably. "I'd hardly say he was the _honourable_ type."

"Pah. False charges were held against him. He's no criminal – no more than the rest of us are, anyhow." Asuma chuckled, waving his glass of ale in the air before downing half of the liquid in one gulp. Kakashi was now eyeing Neji again, flickering glimpses of interest surfacing in his lone visible eye.

"How did you and that young lady – Miss Sakura, was it? – get to know him and Tenten, anyway?" Kakashi's voice was deceptively casual but Neji could just about make out the undertones of curiosity that sharpened his tone. Neji pondered the answer he could give for a moment. These men were all supposedly allies of the Uchiha; knowing that he had been his temporary jailer would probably lead to a rather unpleasant situation for him and the ladies.

Not that they wouldn't find out by other means later on anyway. "I am the Captain of the ship designated to transport the Uchiha to Sunagakure," he told them guardedly.

Three pairs of eyebrows arched up.

"You're of the Royal Navy," Genma stated flatly. Neji nodded.

"Was," he added as an afterthought. "We were attacked by Tenten's men and forced to abandon ship."

"And now you're part of her crew."

"Apparently so," Neji confirmed in a wounded tone. Genma stared at him for a long moment before shrugging and taking a large swig of his ale.

"So why is she hurt now?" Asuma demanded. "Tenten's a strong lass, she wouldn't have let herself get all bruised an' bleeding like that from just a measly rescue job!"

"Orochimaru was there," Neji told them. "It appears that he was also after the Uchiha. Tenten was injured while we were escaping, but we managed to lose them on the journey here."

"The _bastard!_" Asuma snarled, banging his glass back onto the table. "That no good sonnofabitch! So he's still after Sasuke, is he?"

"Seems like everyone is after Sasuke," Neji muttered irritably. "He's better off in prison – he _ought _to be in one, anyway."

"Now stop that right there!" Asuma turned on him angrily. "I've said it once, an' I'll say it again. Sasuke's an honourable fella, and I won't stand no bullshittin' about him!"

"He killed his entire clan," Neji growled. "His own flesh and blood, brutally murdered in one night. He's a veritable madman! If it weren't for his brother Uchiha Itachi, he probably would have killed others beside his own kinsfolk! He is a threat to society and– "

"Pah," Genma scoffed. "Sasuke didn't kill his family. _Itachi _did. Everyone knows that."

Neji eyed him skeptically. "Uchiha Itachi was the one who discovered the victims and caught Sasuke when he went on the run. Not only that, but he is a highly respected member of the Konohan Imperial Court _and_ head of the Royal Navy. I'm afraid you've gotten your facts wrong."

"No, he hasn't," Asuma butted in again. "Itachi was the one who murdered the Uchiha, but he blamed it all on Sasuke."

"If Sasuke is innocent, then how would you explain the fact that he went missing right after the murders were discovered?" Neji demanded.

"Because, Hyuuga, Itachi would have killed him too if hadn't managed to escape. His life was in danger, so he was forced to run away. An' lucky for him, he met Tenten an' she helped smuggle him to Leaf Island. It was nothin' to do with guilt! But then one day Tenten's crew was caught by Uchiha's patrol forces an' he was re-captured by the bastard. That Itachi, he was actually black hearted enough to testify against him in court. Sasuke never had a chance, the poor lad!" Asuma finished his rant with a mighty flourish of his glass, spilling ale all over the table.

Neji digested this information silently. All these notions of betrayal, murder, deceit – was nothing that he ever thought of Konohan law and order, of the Royal Navy, the very establishment he had served faithfully for so many years – was nothing of it true? Now the world appeared to be a much darker place, a roiling mess of lies and empty rhetoric. He blinked slowly, fingers slowly clenching against his glass. Suddenly the ale in front of him seemed like a very welcome option.

"So why is Orochimaru after him?" He had so many questions, so many trailing threads that seemed to lead to nowhere in his confused state of mind.

"Sasuke has something Orochimaru wants," Kakashi suddenly spoke up quietly. Neji started; he hadn't noticed that the silver haired man had put down his book and was now watching him blatantly, head leaning lazily against a hand with his elbow on the table.

"What does he have?"

"A treasure map. Troublesome, isn't it."

Neji looked up. Shikamaru had detached himself from the rest of the group still hovering near Tenten and now settled himself wearily next to Genma, laying his head on the table with a glum expression on his face.

"Sasuke has a treasure map?" Neji repeated, surprised. "...How?"

"He managed to collect a few of the more valuable pieces of Uchiha property before he ran away," Genma explained, the needle shifting up and down as he spoke. "One of which was the infamous Map of Uchiha. Pah. Trust the Uchiha to be pompous enough to name something like a _map _after themselves." He spat out his needle in distaste and Neji was alarmed when it was embedded half way into the table. "Anyhow," Genma continued, "Rumour has it that the Uchiha, wealthy as they are, buried half their treasure in some hidden place. The only way to find it would be to use the map."

"And Sasuke took that with him."

"Buried it somewhere on the island," Genma smiled roguishly. "Can't tell you where, though, because even we don't know. Those who do – I think Tsunade knows, right Kakashi? Tsunade, and probably Tenten - are sworn to secrecy."

"So Orochimaru is after Sasuke for the buried Uchiha treasure." Neji was beginning to understand now.

"As I said... troublesome," Shikamaru groaned into the table.

A moment passed in silence. Then Shikamaru perked his head up, glancing sideways at Genma. "Are you going to finish that?" he asked grumpily, pointing to his half finished glass of ale.

Genma shook his head. "Take it."

Shikamaru grabbed the glass and swigged it down in one gulp, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he finished. "Not strong enough." he muttered.

"How is Tenten doing?" Neji ventured hesitantly. Shikamaru scowled.

"Fine. Tsunade and Shiziune's going to watch over her tonight though, just in case."

Asuma sighed. "Poor Tenten. She's a tough lass." He shook his head sympathetically.

"Tch. Women shouldn't be allowed to fight," Shikamaru muttered under his breath. Neji nodded vigorously and the two shared a long suffering look across the table.

The morning was just breaking outside the windows, pale light filtering in and casting a silver film over their faces and effectively emphasizing their haggard expressions. A few early birds where cooing outside and the air was slowly warming, crisp and fresh; a slight breeze blew in, bringing with it a faint scent of wild flowers. Neji glanced over at where Tenten lay sleeping, the others having dispersed into tired clumps around the room. Then he looked down at his ale.

"Cheers," he muttered tiredly, ignoring the slowly dawning grin on Asuma's rugged features and Genma's dry smile as he drained his glass.


	7. I Want the Decks Clean

**In case there is some misunderstanding on why they have cannons but no rifles: cannons came _before_ rifles and giving them all guns seemed a little too easy, so there we go...no rifles, no guns. Just cannons and lots of pointy objects. Savvy?  
**

**Chapter 7: I Want the Decks Clean**

Neji woke with a start, head jerking up from the table with a sharp intake of breath. He blinked, the empty glass in front of him swimming in and out of view as he struggled to make sense of where he was, when he had fallen asleep and why the hell his head was hurting like Kiba had been singing in the bathroom again. His whole head was throbbing as if someone was continually punching him with a burning iron; he groaned, collapsing back onto the table and burrowing his head into the crook of his arms. What the _hell _had happened?

"Oy. Get up."

Neji peered blearily up at the spiky haired man, eyes squinting against the blinding light from a nearby window. Shikamaru scowled down at him, prodding his shoulder with the blunt handle of a knife.

"We've got to get going again. If you want to eat, you better get something now before we return to the _Kyuubi_."

_Kyuubi? _ Neji blinked.

...Oh...right.

Neji groaned again as he remembered everything that had happened up to last night. Downing the ale and the four more that followed, cheered on by that damned Asuma fellow; everyone else finding random corners of the inn to sleep away the earlier hours of the morning; himself finding it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open, finally succumbing to the hard, cracked surface of the table that had at the time looked remarkably alluring and comfortable.

Well, the ale _had_ been pretty good. Neji sighed, pushing himself onto his feet and glancing around the inn. It was near noon; Asuma, Kakashi and Genma were gone, replaced by a whole gaggle of customers. Tenten's crew was crowded around the middle table, dejectedly picking at their food. He saw Hinata, Hanabi and Sakura sitting amongst them, awkwardly participating in the meal. Tenten herself was awake, if barely. She sat weakly at the head of the table wrapped in a thick blanket, fending off a concerned Chouji and Ino. Both were trying to get her to eat but she merely smiled at them, sipping a little water and shaking her head at the rich food spread out on the table. Neji frowned. While it was obvious that she wasn't going to die anytime soon, her body was still weak. She should be eating if she wanted to regain her strength. He glared at her, miffed. Foolish woman.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Shikamaru drawled, heading off towards the table. Neji followed him silently, sitting down between him and Naruto.

"Mornin', Captain Idiot," Naruto greeted him cheerfully. He seemed to be the only person in good spirits and Neji nodded at him coolly, ignoring the lighthearted insult and shifting his attention immediately onto the roast pork before him. He was starving, having eaten nothing since their disturbed dinner the evening before.

"Shikamaru, must we leave so soon? Tenten still hasn't recovered properly. I really don't think she should be moving around just yet," Ino called across the table crossly. Tenten turned to her, smiling wryly.

"I'll be alright, Ino."

"No, you won't be! What is he _thinking_, putting so much stress on your injury?" The blonde glared at Shikamaru, who rolled his eyes.

"Troublesome woman. It's in our best interests to get moving right away."

"Oh? And who made _you_ in charge?" Ino interrupted him indignantly.

"No one," Shikamaru said, biting into a forkful of pork. "But Tenten listens to me anyway."

Ino grit her teeth, cheeks staining red in anger. "Oy, lazy ass! What –"

"Hey," Tenten sighed, poking Ino in the shoulder. "Will you two stop bickering? He's right, I _do_ listen to him. If he says we should leave straight away, then we leave, alright?" She turned to Shikamaru, eyeing him in mock annoyance. "But he better have a good reason for this, or else he'll have two very grumpy females after him."

"Three," Hanabi suddenly piped up (though Neji suspected that she offered just for the chance to physically assault another member of Tenten's crew).

"Four," Sakura mumbled, yawning. "I hate waking up so early."

"It's past noon," Sasuke muttered quietly, stabbing his knife into a potato.

"I didn't see _you_ waking up until, oh, half an hour ago," Sakura reminded him archly. Sasuke glared at her but she had already turned away, fussing over Hinata like a mother hen.

"Why _are_ we leaving so early?" Neji asked. These people seemed unfathomably strange to him – last night they had been in a hurry to reach Leaf Island, today they were in a hurry to get away.

Shikamaru glanced at him. "I'll tell you later," he muttered quietly. "Somewhere the women won't hear. I don't want to get them all worked up, troublesome as they already are."

"I heard that," Ino snapped testily.

"Me too." Hanabi scowled at the poor man. Shikamaru groaned, raising his eyes to the heavens.

"Good Lord. As if two troublesome women weren't enough, now we have three more. _Three_. " He turned to Neji grumpily. "This is all your fault. What on earth made you let so many females onto your ship? Do you realize that now we'll never have any peace of mind?"

Neji nodded glumly, pretending not to notice the dirty look Hanabi shot him immediately afterwards.

"Well?" Ino demanded. "Why do we have to leave so early?"

"Because, idiot woman," Shikamaru drawled, "Orochimaru is about to find Leaf Island."

The entire table was shocked into a brief, stunned silence; the background din of laughter, conversation and clinking cutlery seemed almost unreal and strangely normal following the gravity of his statement. Tenten was first to recover, eyes bright with worry.

"About to? What do you mean, about to? You told me you had lost him on the way here!"

"We did." Shikamaru nodded. "But we lost them in the mist."

Tenten paled further, leaving Neji thoroughly confused. He watched the woman for a moment before grimly turning back to Shikamaru. "Is that a problem?"

The pirate nodded again. "We were taking on a huge risk in leading Orochimaru this far." He glanced at Neji. "Leaf Island has never been discovered by outsiders for two reasons. Firstly, because it lies...well, in the middle of nowhere. None of the main trading routes pass anywhere nearby. Finding it on a random excursion across the Hidden Straits is near impossible. Secondly, the island itself is hidden by the mist that surrounds it. No one is really sure why the mist is there, but oh well." He shrugged. "The important thing is that it has kept us undetected and safe for years. Only we know how to navigate through the mist to the island; all other foreign ships that _have _managed to come through the area become lost. The lucky ones find their way out, the unluckier ones stay stranded."

"Won't Orochimaru become lost inside the mist, then?" Neji frowned.

Shikamaru sighed. "Not when he's got someone who knows the way, no."

"Kabuto," Shino spoke up unexpectedly; everyone glanced at him, surprised at the angry note in his voice. "The defector."

"Yes, him," Shikamaru confirmed dryly. Seeing Sakura and Hanabi's clueless expression, he coughed and elaborated. "Kabuto was once part of Kakashi's crew. A few years ago they clashed with Orochimaru and barely escaped with their lives."

"Not because they were incompetent," Tenten suddenly hissed, "but because Kabuto turned traitor and sabotaged their cannons. The filthy _bastard_."

"And Kabuto left to join Orochimaru's crew during the fight?" Neji guessed. She nodded, sinking back into her chair with a tired, angry sigh.

"Kabuto had only been with Kakashi's crew for a while – not long enough to know his way to Leaf, anyway," Shikamaru continued. "We were relying on the fact that he wouldn't even be able to lead Orochimaru to the general proximity of the island. However...he definitely knows how to get through the mist. He may have been unused to the surroundings, after having been away for a few years, which is why we managed to lose him. But there is no doubt that once he takes his bearings he will be able to navigate the _Akatsuki_ to Leaf."

"You knew all this, and yet you still brought us back here with them hot on our tails?" Naruto exclaimed, frustrated, slamming a fist onto the table. By his side Hinata flinched, darting a worried glance at the angry blonde.

"Tenten was in danger," Shikamaru said simply. Naruto froze, looking torn.

"So we're just going to leave?" Ino asked doubtfully. "Is that why you want us to get away as soon as possible? To _run away? _What about Tsunade? What about the Ichiraku? What about everybody else living here?"

"We're not running away," Shikamaru replied coolly. "We're going to divert their attention before they find the island."

* * *

It was probably a beautiful day out at sea. The _Kyuubi_ sailed smoothly through nearly flat expanses of water; sunlight filtering through the mist illuminated the vapour in the air, transforming the area into a haze of glimmering white before reflecting sharply off the sea. Peering down the side of the ship, one would say the water shone like silver sheeting, flickering glimpses of intense light scattered amidst the smallest waves like diamonds in the rough.

The entire crew was assembled on deck, busily manning the ship. Sakura and Hinata followed Ino, watching her clamber through the rigging, a tangle of agile limbs darting here and there through the thick ropes and canvassing.

"Hey, you two!"

Sakura peered up at the woman, searching for her limber figure in the mist wrapped around them. "What is it?"

"Care to help?" Ino yelled to them, throwing a trailing length of rope down from above. Sakura and Hinata stared at it, surprised at the idea that they could actually clamber around like the energetic blonde.

"We...we d-don't know h-how..." Hinata murmured worriedly. She, too, had been given a change in clothes and now wore a large, baggy shirt and long pants that trailed almost to the floor (Neji had refused to allow her to wear anything that showed her ankles). She grasped the rope gingerly, tugging lightly to test its strength.

"Don't worry," Ino called down, sounding surprisingly kind. "I'll teach you."

Both women's hearts were pounding as she slid down along the mainmast, landing nimbly on her feet. "Here, it's like this." She took the rope, pulling it taut before lightly jumping off the deck, both feet gripping onto the mainmast. "The rope is securely tied at the top so don't worry. All you have to do is keep pulling yourself up. It takes quite a bit of upper arm strength, though, so perhaps you should practice a bit first."

Hinata nodded as Ino handed the rope back to her, a sunny smile spread across her face. Ino was a strange woman, she decided; she seemed quite horrible and loud mouthed around the men, but to the women...well, she would have to thank her later for being so kind.

"Let's see you try it then," Ino urged the shy Hyuuga.

Hinata glanced over at Sakura, who smiled encouragingly. Swallowing, Hinata gripped the rope firmly in both hands.

She jerked off the ground awkwardly, her bare feet slipping a little on the mainmast. She gulped, steadying her fluttering nerves before she began to tug herself up, slowly, an inch at a time. The wood was warm against her feet, the rope rough and scratching rather painfully against her soft skin. It was tiring and difficult – much more difficult than it looked - but she was managing, and soon she found herself smiling as well, a soft tug of her lips as she progressed up the rope.

"You're doing wonderfully, Miss Hinata!" Sakura grinned up at her friend. The grin faded, however, when Ino reached over and tugged down another rope.

"Your turn."

* * *

"You had this planned out all along, didn't you?"

Shikamaru turned around from the steering wheel where he had been slumped most of the afternoon. Tenten had crept up to him from behind, having discarded her blanket below deck. Ino and Chouji had insisted that she rest in her cabin while they ran the ship but Tenten had refused outright, choosing instead to limp around the deck, sometimes helping Shino with polishing and preparing the cannonballs, sometimes keeping Naruto company where he sat with a needle and thread, attempting to mend recent tears in the spare sails.

"Perhaps." Shikamaru smiled dryly at her.

"You shouldn't have risked us all for my sake," Tenten berated him gently, knowing it was entirely useless. Her crew would never have rested until she was safe, Shikamaru included.

"What, and miss out on all this fun?" he mumbled sarcastically before turning back to the wheel, giving it a half-hearted spin to the left. "It was worth it," he added softly.

"...Idiot." Tenten rolled her eyes but she was smiling, slapping him lightly on the wrist. "Thank you."

"Troublesome," he muttered. "You should go rest. I doubt we'll be finding Orochimaru anytime soon."

"Really?" Tenten glanced worriedly out into the mist. "Do you think we'll find them in time?"

"Yes," Shikamaru said guardedly. "I hope."

"I see." She sighed, watching him steer for a moment longer before making her way back across the deck.

Neji was currently lingering near the stairway, having helped Hanabi revive an unconscious Kiba with a large, cold bucket of sea water. The Inuzuka had woken up howling, scrambling to his feet, teeth bared and ready to fight. Neji had dragged him below deck before he could attack someone, hastily pushing Hanabi and him into a spare cabin. She, naturally, had been furious that Neji was leaving all the explaining to her; Neji was a hardened man (or so he thought), but even he winced at some of the unladylike expletives Hanabi flung at both him and the Inuzuka before he managed to excuse himself, telling them that he was going to go make himself useful on deck.

Now that he _was_ on deck, though, he had no idea what he could do.

When he was onboard the _Konoha Maiden_, he had been Captain; ordering others about was his specialty. Amongst this ragbag group of ruffians, he doubted he would have any authority, and even if he did...well, he had no true grasp of what was going on anyway and Tenten seemed to be doing a good enough job. While she did not seem to be an elected, or even official 'captain', the others naturally followed her orders and he supposed that really, that was the most important element of being a strong leader.

"Well, hello there."

_Speak of the devil_, Neji mused to himself as he turned around to face the woman coming up behind him. Tenten's entire waist was tightly bandaged, dried blood still crusting her left side in smears of dull, rusty red. She made her way slowly towards him, limping slightly in an effort to put less stress on her left hip.

Neji nodded at her stiffly. Tenten drew to a stop by his side, looking out across the deck at her crew.

"I hope we'll be in time to keep Orochimaru away from Leaf Island," she sighed, fidgeting with the loose ends of the bandages around her torso.

Neji glanced down at her. He considered being cool and aloof, telling her perhaps that he didn't really care if Leaf Island was looted and burned to cinders, and that in the end they were all just a couple of barbarians anyway ...well...somehow, he couldn't bring himself to say the words. He felt that this entire, horrible business was somehow...not their fault. In fact, if it weren't for them, he would probably be a corpse somewhere at the bottom of the sea along with his female charges, murdered in cold blood by that dastardly Orochimaru.

Not that he was about to admit to any of this, of course.

"Hn," he mumbled, clasping his hands behind his back and standing up straight. The two of them stood together for a while, watching the others move around, observing silently as Hinata and Sakura slowly learned to use the ropes. (Neji could not say that he approved, them being ladies and clambering up ropes being a very unladylike thing to do, but he supposed they were in safe hands).

"You don't have to stay with us," Tenten suddenly spoke up softly.

He gave her a questioning glance and she tilted her head up to face him properly, brown eyes searching for and meeting his. "You saved my life. I realize I have yet to thank you for it."

Neji did not know what to say (he himself would acknowledge that he was sadly lacking these things called _social skills_) and so he merely looked down at her, one eyebrow arched inquisitively.

"Well, thank you." Tenten smiled hesitantly, a brief upward tilt of her lips before her expression turned serious again. "As a mark of my gratitude, I can ask one of my men to take you back to the island on the rowing boat. Kakashi or Genma could take you out to some of the more known islands, out to some main trading route, perhaps, where you can find a way to go home."

Now the other eyebrow rose; Neji stared at her, surprised. "You're letting us go?"

"Yes." Tenten nodded. "You'll have to go quickly though. Once we find Orochimaru, it will be too dangerous to let you out to sea."

Neji frowned, considering her offer. It seemed to be a good way of getting his charges away from danger. And yet...

"The problem is," he told her, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Hinata slipping down the mainmast to land rather painfully on her back; "there is nowhere we can go, if what you have told me about the Hyuugan Court is true."

Going back to Konoha in this state was not an option. The Hyuugan elders would simply find another way to dispose of Lady Hinata. Sunagakure was probably aware of this plotting and would probably ship them all back anyway. The other foreign territories were simply too dangerous to consider – the Konohan empire was on the verge of war with nearly half its neighbours and they would not be received in any friendly manner.

Tenten blinked up at him. "Oh...yes. I had forgotten that," she admitted ruefully.

"We'll stay."

"...Sorry?"

"We'll stay with you for now," Neji elaborated stiffly. Tenten stared at him for a moment, surprised, before suddenly breaking out in a smile.

"Alright."

Neji found himself smiling faintly in return, albeit a rather awkwardly. "Thank you, I suppose...Miss Tenten."

"You're welcome."

"Hn."

"Now let's get you scrubbing the deck."

"... ...Pardon?" His eyes widened. Was she serious?

"You heard me." She nudged him playfully, grabbing a rag from a large pile behind the stairway and throwing it at his chest. He caught it reflexively, staring as she limped below deck. Scrubbing the deck? _Him?_ A Captain?

"Here." Tenten had returned, handing him a large pail, water sloshing over the rim onto the deck. "I want the entire deck clean before Orochimaru comes along."

Neji stared at her rather dumbly, still unable to get over Tenten's sudden switch from soft (almost feminine, you could say, but the idea of someone like her being feminine was...pffft, ridiculous) and grateful to being a merciless slave driver.

"Come on, now. We mustn't disgrace ourselves in front of the enemy, right?" She grinned at him. "Our ship will be _just_ as good as theirs, I say!"

At that, she turned and limped away across the deck, leaving Neji holding onto the pail and rag and gaping after her diminishing figure.


	8. Hanabi Has Fun

**Chapter 8: Hanabi Has Fun **

Neji was glaring venomously at the deck. Or rather, a specific, terracotta stain on the deck near the stern of the ship, spanning his entire forearm in width and looking suspiciously like a streak of dried blood. He had spent the last quarter of an hour scrubbing away at it with seawater and the rag (now in shreds after violent abuse at the hands of said Hyuuga) and yet here it remained, stubbornly clinging to the weathered wood like a birthmark on the ship.

For Pete's sake. He didn't even know why he _cared_ so much, only that Tenten had ordered him to scrub the deck clean and he owed her his life. And that he was _Hyuuga Neji_ and by God, even if it was demeaning work, it was work assigned to him and he would do it brilliantly, damn it! (Actually, he was a little worried about the possible result of disobeying Tenten. But only a little.)

He sat back, roughly wiping away the sweat building up between his brows and tugging uncomfortably at his collar. The shirt had already been starched stiff before being drenched in seawater; now, dried and baking in the afternoon heat it was positively _hard,_ scraping at his skin painfully like sandpaper and adding to his general discomfort. His hands were raw, the salty water stinging the thin cuts Tenten had opened up on his skin during their short fight. Sighing, he leaned down to give one more futile scrub at the stain.

It didn't work.

Neji growled in frustration, throwing the rag to the side in disgust. He needed something truly abrasive in order to scrape the damn thing off. Scowling, he shrugged out of his shirt, folding it into quarters and dunking it into the pail of water before proceeding to use it to attack the deck.

"That bad, huh?"

Neji paused mid-swipe, turning to see Naruto sitting cross legged a few feet behind him, tattered canvassing draped over his lap. The blonde was watching him with a bemused expression, a needle and thread pinched loosely between his fingers.

"Hn." Neji brushed stray strands of inky hair from his forehead and turned back to his work, not in the mood to begin idle chit chat. They were on the verge of a possible fight with Orochimaru and there was the deck to clean (because Tenten said so.) He was a busy man.

"Need help?" Naruto offered.

"No." Neji shook his head. The stain was finally beginning to come off, smearing dirty red onto his shirt.

"You sure?"

"Yes." A few quick, hard scrubs and it was gone (although it appeared that the top layer of the deck was gone as well). Neji breathed a small sigh of relief.

"I bet you're not used to doing dirty work like this, eh?" Naruto grinned cheekily at him. "How does it feel?"

"Hn." Neji shrugged, flinging the used shirt into the pail and standing up, planning to move on and finish the cleaning – he had only the quarter deck left to scrub, and then he would be done and might be able to check up on how Kiba was taking the news from Hanabi. To his surprise, Naruto also stood up and followed him as he strode across the length of the ship, trailing his half mended canvassing behind him as he went.

Neji stopped, pail swinging against his knee as he glared at the man. "Is there something you want?" he asked irritably. Naruto blinked at him.

"Huh? No, I just thought I'd work near you. Since uh, you know, we were talking." He looked at the Hyuuga strangely. "Is there a problem?"

Hmm...what about the fact that they had been fighting against each other less than a day ago? That they were now forced to be on the same side only through current circumstances and that they still were (and Neji rather hoped would continue to be) pretty much strangers to each other?

"...No," he muttered, sighing, when he saw Naruto's innocent expression. The man seemed to have discarded all ill will against him after waking up at the Ichiraku this morning and was currently being unnecessarily friendly, in his opinion. Still, he supposed that since they were now technically allies he might as well be civil.

"So," Naruto began cheerfully as soon as Neji set down his pail and began wringing his shirt dry. "It seems like you're part of our crew now, huh? You and Hinata and Sakura."

Neji was about to insist that Naruto refer to the ladies as "Misses" instead of so callously throwing their names about, but was overridden when a gruff voice suddenly issued from behind.

"And me, apparently."

Neji and Naruto turned to see Kiba stalking warily towards them from the main deck. Hanabi must have managed to get him a spare change of clothes; Neji noticed rather enviously that he now wore the same loose shirt and breeches as the rest of Tenten's crew, looking clean and refreshed.

"Inuzuka." Neji nodded at him when he reached them. Kiba eyed Naruto suspiciously before squatting down and bending closer to his former Captain.

"Are you sure about this, Neji?" he asked under his breath, brows furrowed in worry. "Can we trust them?"

Neji fixed him with a steady gaze. "We have no other choice but to do just that, I'm afraid." Seeing the Inuzuka's unconvinced expression, he sighed and ripped his shirt in two, handing one half to the Inuzuka. "We'll be safe with them. For now, we clean."

Naruto had been leaning in unabashedly to catch the words exchanged between them and now grinned at Kiba in what he obviously thought was a reassuring manner, eyes creasing into curved slits as he bared his teeth proudly. "Eh, quit worryin' ya landlubber! Of course you'll be safe with us - we're one of the best crews working the entire Straits!"

Kiba growled softly in his throat. "Safe? Miss Hanabi said we're about to present ourselves as _bait _to _Orochimaru_. How safe can we be?"

"Safer than if we were back in Konoha," Neji replied sternly. "I presume she has also informed you about our –our-" Here he paused, finding the words stuck awkwardly in his throat. "- Betrayal - by the Hyuuga clan?"

"Yes, but – what I'm saying is- _look_ at Miss Hinata and Miss Sakura now! And Miss Hanabi! They're waving bloody swords about!"

"What?" Neji's head shot up immediately. "Swords?"

Pale eyes widened when he caught sight of the three women each clutching various dangerously sharp objects, staring raptly as Ino demonstrated how to stab an imaginary foe through the chest _and_ execute a swift kick to the groin area at the same time. Hanabi in particular looked positively gleeful as she ran a finger lightly along the edge of her hooked blade. Neji swallowed. Oh, Lord...

"You see? _You see?_" Kiba demanded, flustered.

"_What_ are they doing?" Neji hissed, fingers tightening around what was left of his shirt and unconsciously wringing out all the remaining water onto the deck. "This is outrageous! Absolutely preposterous! They must be stopped _immediately!"_

"Oy." Naruto snapped his fingers in front of their indignant faces. "Stop overreacting, will you? Ino's going to make sure they're alright. Besides, they've got to learn sometime, right? Or do you think we'll be fighting Orochimaru by being civil and throwing a tea party?" he asked sarcastically.

"They will not fight!" Neji declared angrily, but his heart was sinking and he realized that Naruto was right. Even if he could keep the ladies out of the way most of the time, they would still need to be able to protect themselves in case the worst occurred and they were attacked. And yet... Neji winced when Hanabi sliced her scythe in a large, smooth curve through the air, the metal gleaming and catching the light.

"Are you sure that blonde woman knows what she's doing?" Kiba asked skeptically, watching Ino adjust Sakura's grip on her sword.

"Of course!" Naruto told them proudly. "Ino's a great fighter! Tenten's the best at using weapons, naturally, but Ino can definitely hold her own. She's a tough girl, that one. Spent most of her childhood on the streets before she met Tenten. Her parents drowned on a trading ship just off Sunagakure when she was only _this_ tall." He splayed his palm horizontally up to his chest, shaking his head sympathetically.

"A street urchin turned pirate," Kiba sighed. "Wonderful. I suppose all of you are like her, then?"

"Nah." Naruto bit his thread in two, squinting as he continued on with his mending. "We're all different. Shino there – the strange fellow in the coat – he's blueblood. Aburame."

Neji frowned. "Aburame? How on earth did someone from their clan end up _here?" _He remembered meeting various members of the Aburame nobility a few times at the Hyuugan court. A highly influential family, they were second only to the Hyuuga in terms of wealth and ancestry. He turned to Kiba abruptly. "Aren't the Aburame and the Inuzuka...?"

"We are close allies, yes." Kiba nodded slowly. "We have strong ties to their clan...strong enough to match familial duty, almost. Though I had never heard of one of the Aburame sons becoming a pirate..."

Naruto shrugged. "He ran away. Wouldn't those big fancy clans try to keep these kind of things all hush hush anyway?"

"That's why he didn't kill me," Kiba exclaimed loudly, a look of dawning comprehension spreading across his face. "Back on our ship. He knows I'm Inuzuka...and I suppose he still has some sense of his clan obligations towards mine."

"Hn." Neji narrowed his eyes, watching Shino as he cleaned the cannons. "What about the others? More runaways?"

"Er..." Naruto scrunched his nose in concentration. "Well, Sasuke-bastard is an Uchiha, I think you know, yeah? The others...Chouji was born on Leaf Island. His parents are the local bakers – Akimichi pastry is _the_ best this side of the world, trust me - they wanted him to carry on the family business but he decided to join Tenten's crew instead. Shikamaru and his pa used to be with Asuma's crew –- but then his pa was killed during a raid near the Bay of Sound and he switched to join ours. Said he preferred a younger pack, but well..." Naruto trailed off, gaze resting briefly on the spiky haired man slumped against the steering wheel at the other end of the ship before turning back to Kiba and Neji. "And Tenten...her parents came from the Han Kingdom east of the Konohan Empire - refugees from a civil war, I think...they were picked up by Genma's crew. Tenten was born and bred into this life – a true pirate lass. She was the one who brought us all together, gave us a family to call our own."

"Why isn't she with her parents?" Neji asked curiously.

Naruto's expression darkened. "Captured and executed years ago. She was taken care of by Shizune – Genma's girl – and Tsunade, until she managed to buy her own ship and took us all in."

"...I see."

"And you?" Kiba directed his gaze back from the Aburame to Naruto, a wry smile on his lips. "What's _your_ tragic past?"

Naruto blinked, looking unexpectedly hesitant and on guard. "Ah, well, s'nothing special," he mumbled, shrugging, before letting out a forced chuckle. "Eh, it doesn't matter anyway. The important thing is that I'm here now with my crew. _This _is my family."

Neji narrowed his eyes at the way the blonde had quickly slipped past the subject but didn't press the issue, figuring it wouldn't be terribly important anyway. He turned to Kiba, a serious expression settling into the clean lines of his face. "Shikamaru said that that we would merely be leading Orochimaru away from Leaf Island – technically, there shouldn't be any fighting. However...if the worst comes to the worst...I want you to take the ladies below deck and lock them in the most inconspicuous cabin you can find. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Kiba nodded curtly, unconsciously slipping back to old formalities. "And us? Do we fight?"

"Naturally." Neji squared his shoulders and gazed out into the mist, managing to look uncommonly dashing and noble despite the fact that he was still holding a dirtied wet shirt in one hand. "We'll show Orochimaru not to underestimate trained men of war."

"I understand." Kiba smirked.

"And for now-"

"We clean. Yes, I've noticed."

* * *

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

Tenten started, tearing her gaze away from the shirtless Hyuuga currently swabbing her decks. "Shikamaru?"

"You made him clean the decks deliberately. In this weather. Admit it."

"He...he didn't have anything else to do." Tenten flushed.

"Oh? So why have you spent the last quarter of an hour watching him?"

"Supervision. Being a former Captain, I didn't expect him to be terribly good at cleaning."

"Heh. And is he good, then?"

"Very."

"How troublesome."

"Shut up, Shikamaru."

A pause.

"And stop smirking at me like that."

"Fine, fine." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and titled his head back lazily, squinting. "By the way...it's rather troublesome...but I think Sasuke's spotted something."

"What? Has he found the _Akatsuki?_" Tenten started, neck snapping back immediately to follow his gaze. Sasuke had been scanning the area around the_ Kyuubi_ on the lookout perch since they left port, directing them in wide circles around the island in order to find Orochimaru's ship. Now they were currently gliding West of Leaf, heading in a gentle arc in the general direction of Sunagakure. The mist here formed a nearly impenetrable barrier, thick and humid, before suddenly subsiding into the clearer waters that was under Suna control.

Sasuke was currently swathed in thin veils of vapour that clung to the sails but they could still make out his hands as they swiftly came together in a series of familiar signals, wrists and fingers twisting deftly to form various symbols.

_Snake...Near...Port side...Turn...Immediately._

"Port side?" Tenten bit her lip, fingers clenching around the looking glass slung around her neck. "Shikamaru, gather the others. I'll steer."

Shikamaru took off across the deck grimly and Tenten pressed the glass to her eyes, scanning the area to the ship's left. For a few, tense seconds she saw nothing but grey and the brief gleams of light that reflected off the sea and she cursed softly, squinting, one hand reaching up to rest lightly on the steering wheel.

And then it appeared: a blurred shadow in the distance, the hulking mass lurking upon the water half concealed in the dense mist. She could make out the curved outlines of gigantic, black sails and the bowsprit protruding from the head of the ship, aimed directly at the _Kyuubi_.

"Too close," Tenten hissed, flinging down the looking glass and pulling down on steering wheel, hard. The ship groaned and creaked as it swung abruptly to the right. How had they missed it? How? "Shino! Are the cannons ready? Ino, get all the sails down, _now!" _

She gave one last tug at the steering wheel, setting the ship swerving away from the fast approaching _Akatsuki_ before darting as fast as she could towards her crew, a hand pressed hard against her wound. Sasuke came sliding down the mainmast just as she reached Ino, the two women hurriedly undoing the rope tied around iron posts on the deck in order to let down the extra sails.

"They know I'm onboard," Sasuke told her under his breath. "I made sure their crew could see me." He showed her the burnt splints in his palm before hurrying away to help Shino drag the cannons to the back of the ship. Neji and Kiba were there already, the four of them alternatively ramming the cannons on their rickety iron wheels and rolling the heavy cannonballs across the deck.

"Don't you hold the guns below deck like _normal_ ships?" Neji hissed at Shino, kneeling to prop the length of the canon over his shoulder so as to heave the barrel over the side of the ship. The metal was hot against the bare skin of his back, the dried tar that coated the joints rubbing roughly against his hip. "What happened to using the gun ports?"

"It's much easier to aim this way," Shino told him coolly, already beginning to load the first cannonballs into the barrel.

"Yes, but the backfire will break your ribs if you're not careful." Honestly, what was with pirates and not using weapons in a safe and orderly manner?

"I'm always careful."

"Hn." He snorted.

"They're too close! We have to get moving quickly!"

All heads shot up at Tenten's urgent tone. The woman was standing sternly in the middle of the sparring deck, looking over the activities of her crew with a looking glass in one hand and a cutlass in the other. "Crew, remember that our aim is to lead them away from Leaf Island! Even if we engage in combat - which unfortunately seems to be much too likely at the moment - I want at least one member to be steering and manning the sails, you hear me?"

"Aye!" The entire crew minus its newest members all roared back immediately (Naruto being the most enthusiastic of all) and resumed working with increased fervor. Kiba blinked, seeing Hanabi come scampering over to the group with what seemed to be an entire armoury clutched between her scrawny arms.

"Neji! Inuzuka!" She let half the weapons fall to the ground with a resounding clatter when she reached them. "Chouji told me to give these to you."

The two men each picked up a variety of blades, inserting a dagger in their belt here, a cutlass and scabbard around their waist there. Neji narrowed his eyes at his cousin, eyeing the many weapons she still clasped eagerly to her side.

"And the rest?"

"Mine!" she told them happily, dashing away again to find Sakura and Hinata. The women were helping Naruto spread open the sails that he had mended, Sakura taking one corner and cautiously pulling herself up the mizen-mast. The _Kyuubi_ was now speeding swiftly across the water but the _Akatsuki_ was faster, the distance between the two ships closing up at an alarming rate; the mist was getting thicker by the minute as they reached the final barrier that protected Leaf from detection. Under Tenten's direction Shikamaru had resumed his post at the steering wheel so that she could lend a hand to the men at the stern still struggling with the heavy cannons.

"The cannonballs have to be put in like _this_." She nudged Kiba out of the way and pulled a cannonball from Neji's grasp. "These guns are old, probably different from your standard army issue ones. If you don't close this clasp it will slide out before-"

"Tenten! _Move!_"

"Huh?" Tenten looked up across the sea at Ino's shouted warning, expression tightening when she saw three familiarly clawed hooks flying towards them, ropes undulating snake- like through the air. "Damn it!"

She ducked, rolling to the side and wincing as the hooks embedded themselves into the backboard of the stern, ropes pulling taut. The ship bucked forward before slowing down, salty spray crashing over the deck and drenching half the crew. The _Akatsuki _was now barely twenty feet behind them; Kiba snarled, rushing forwards with his cutlass to severe the ropes but was forced back when a sudden volley of small, hooked blades sliced through the air, forcing Tenten and the men to throw themselves back onto the deck.

Neji waited for the barrage of weapons to cease before crawling forwards on his hands and knees; catching Shino's eye, the two grasped a cannon and aimed it roughly in the direction of the _Akatsuki_, the two of them still hidden behind the backboard of the ship. Shino flicked a splinter from his pocket and struck it across the wooden deck, preparing to light the fuse.

"Hey boys."

The two men immediately pushed themselves away, startled, when a head of red head appeared above them. A dark, cat-eyed woman grinned down at them before swinging herself up and over the edge, landing gracefully before the shocked band of pirates. "Say hello to Tayuya," she sang teasingly, the toothy grin widening before she darted forwards with two short swords brandished in the air, eyes locking onto Shino.

Neji stepped up to help but froze when he saw the scene playing out before him between the two ships. More men were pulling themselves across the gap, hanging from the ropes with their blades clenched between their teeth.

"They're coming, right?" Tenten pushed him out of the way, scowling as she assessed the situation. Sasuke was already leaping forwards to exchange blows with the incoming wave of attackers; they swarmed around him, jeering as he twisted and flew at the enemy with angry precision. Tenten paled.

"Sasuke! Get back here! You of all people should be staying behind, idiot! You're _exactly_ what they want and you're giving yourself to – oh, _hell!" _Cursing loudly, she drew her own weapons and flung herself into the disarray, Neji following close at her heels and flinging a meaningful look back at Kiba.

"Inuzuka! The ladies!"

Kiba appeared momentarily torn, looking rather longingly at the fight. A quick glance behind, however, immediately convinced him to retreat and lead the women away. Hinata was visibly terrified, eyes huge with fear as she grasped her sword tightly in her fists. More worrying, however, was the sight of Naruto struggling to hold back a squirming Hanabi – the young woman was brandishing her scythe in the air, naively eager to rush forwards and join the fight. Hell no. Kiba ran towards them, grabbing Hanabi from a relieved Naruto's hold and tugging the rest of the ladies towards the stairway.

"Get off me! I want to fight! I want to-"

Kiba did his best to ignore the furious demands issuing from the crook of his arms and pressed on down, pausing momentarily only to make sure Sakura and Hinata were following. He needed to find a safe cabin, _now._

Back on deck, the situation was becoming increasingly desperate. The _Akatsuki's _head had come within jumping distance of the _Kyuubi. _Even with Ino, Chouji and Naruto joining the fray, the seemingly endless flow of _Akatsuki_ members kept pouring onto the ship. Tenten was weakening quickly, the bandages at her hip beginning to stain a dark red; Neji found himself watching her back, worried that she might slip and become overwhelmed by the _Akatsuki_ men.

"We're out!" Shikamaru's hoarse shout resounded across the deck.

_Out?_ Neji frowned while stabbing a pirate through the chest. What did he mean by out? Out of the fight? Out of -

Abruptly, the mist disappeared.

Neji blinked as the ship slid slowly out of the final traces of vapour, unaccustomed to the harsh, blinding light that suddenly beat down upon them. He recognized the acrid heat that burned at their skin, the air dry as dust even over water. The _Kyuubi _had managed to tow the _Akatsuki_ straight out of the mist and into the Sunagakurean waters. Leaf Island must be situated around half way between Konoha and Sunagakure, then.

_"Sasuke-bastard!"_

Neji was snapped out of his musing by Naruto's enraged cry. Swiping at a new enemy, he swept his gaze towards the stern and tensed immediately, growling. Sasuke's sword had been ripped from his grasp; the man was now swarmed by four _Akatsuki _members, backed up towards the edge of the ship. Naruto broke through his opponents and rushed towards his comrade but it was too late – one of the men swiped out at Sasuke, forcing him to take a step back. Sasuke found himself fumbling to find a grip as he teetered on the backboard, failed, and began the long descent towards the water; his opponents surged forwards, grabbing his torso and leaping back onto their ship, dragging the struggling Uchiha with them.

Then the side of the _Akatsuki_ exploded, throwing up a mass of splintered wood and twisted iron into the air.

Both crews froze momentarily, astounded. When the dust cleared they found a gaping hole near the forecastle of the ship, the walls having been ripped cleanly through.

Shikamaru leaned against the steering wheel as he stared at the wrecked front of the _Akatsuki, _lips slowly quirking up at the corners into a lazy smirk. He turned his gaze out to sea, the smirk widening into a fully fledged grin when he found what he was looking for.

In the distance, a small galleon with visibly smoking cannons was speeding towards them, a yellow flag rippling above the billowing sails. Squinting, he could make out a small figure standing proudly at the head of the ship, one leg resting on the bowsprit, dirty blonde hair tousled in the wind.

"Temari..."


	9. Teamwork Ahoy!

**Chapter 9: Teamwork Ahoy!**

"Get _off_ me immediately! I insist!" Hanabi hissed, stamping her foot on Kiba's poor exposed toes. "You cowardly wretch of an Inuzuka! How dare you drag me down here! I want to fight and – oof!"

Kiba clamped his spare hand over her mouth, wincing when the furious young Hyuuga immediately sank her teeth into his knuckles. Ignoring the stinging pain (God, what was a supposedly genteel young lady like her _eating_ with such sharp incisors?) he struggled through the dusty, cramped living quarters below deck, Sakura and Hinata following close at his heels.

_Somewhere safe...must find somewhere safe before she amputates my fingers...  
_

Kiba strode past battered doors swinging on rusty hinges (those would never stand half a minute of a raging Hanabi's violent ministrations), past what looked to be a small pantry (Hanabi would destroy the ship's entire food supply and Kiba was pretty sure _that_ would not sit well with their new 'comrades'), past the bathroom (too barbaric a place for three ladies. Or rather, two ladies and a she-demon), tugging aside heavy curtains that served as makeshift dividers to section off the communal compartments, ducking low, creaking rafters and tattered tapestries, inspecting and deciding against a series of storage cabinet and to hell with this, was there no place aboard the _Kyuubi _fit for hiding his charges?

"Zounds!" Kiba muttered under his breath. "I ought to be up there fighting with Neji."

"Me too!" Hanabi attempted to wail, but her voice was muffled against his palm and came out as a series of mournful mewls instead.

"Lieutenant, surely you would allow me to help out on deck?" Sakura spoke up behind him hesitantly, gingerly fingering the knife in her hands. She couldn't bear the thought of hiding away again while others around her fought to their deaths like all the other Konohan soldiers they had left behind on the _Konoha Maiden – _how many more would follow? Fighting was not terribly lady-like, she knew, but they were far, far from civilization right now and if by doing so she could protect Lady Hinata...

"Impossible," Kiba told her gruffly. "My orders are to keep you safe. Forgive me for saying so, but you are not fit to engage in any form of combat whatsoever, especially not with this band of –" he broke off, squinting through the dim corridors.

._...There._ Sakura sighed when he stumbled forwards, towing Hanabi in his arms. After what seemed like a hellish eternity Kiba had finally come across a medium sized, clean and comfortably furnished cabin near the end of the ship. He inspected the lock on the door – quite new, it had recently been oiled and would do fine – and took a quick cursory glance around the room. A small desk was pushed against the wall, littered with maps, an ink stone complete with quill and parchment and an assorted range of blades. Although its size was nothing compared to what Neji had enjoyed onboard the Kyuubi, it was spacious enough compared to the other cabins that branched off the main gallery; this was most likely Tenten's cabin, he reasoned, and probably the safest room on the ship.

"In here quickly, m'ladies," Kiba instructed Sakura and Hinata. "Lock the door immediately when I leave, and _do not_ open it again until Neji or I come down for you, understand? There are not safe times, sadly, but I hope you will be out of harm's way in here. God bless!" So saying (with a noble expression and a jaunty wave), he released Hanabi, laying her hurriedly on the bed by the window before striding purposefully out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him with an audible sigh of relief.

Hanabi immediately sprang up, crumpling the sheets underneath her as she scrambled across the bed towards the door. "I'm going back up! Come with me, Sakura? Let's go help out!"

"No!"

Sakura started when Hinata suddenly slipped in between Hanabi and the doorway, deftly twisting shut the lock. "Lady Hinata?"

Hinata looked surprised at her own actions. "Ha-Hanabi..." Her voice wavered slightly; for a moment she looked torn. Then her expression hardened, the soft lines of her face settling into a determined expression. "Hanabi, y-you ca-cannot go back up!"

Hanabi glared at her sister. "Why not?" she demanded hotly, stepping closer. Hinata swallowed and backed further against the door, hands coming up behind her to rest possessively on the lock.

"It's t-too d-dangerous! You'll get h-hurt," she insisted.

"But Hinata-"

"N-no!"

"I didn't run away just so I could hide in some little cabin while everyone else is getting their share of the action!" Hanabi stamped her foot in frustration. "I came to make sure you were safe! _You _should stay here, but _I'm_ going up! I _have _to, we can't trust those pirates and Neji to deal with Orochimaru, they _need_ me up there! I'm going up!"

Hinata shook her head bravely. "N-not through this d-door, you're n-not."

"Who said anything about a door?" Hanabi scoffed. Sakura and Hinata watched in amazement when she turned, jumped back onto the bed and flung herself against the circular window. It jerked open with a painful, drawn out creak; Hanabi immediately slipped half out, head and shoulders dangling above the water while she grasped tightly onto the edge of the window pane.

"N-no! That's too d-dangerous! H-Hanabi-"

Hanabi heaved herself up and away, a glimpse of bare feet dangling momentarily mid air before the open window showed nothing but a circle of sea and sky.

..._.Sky? When had the mist cleared? _

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Sakura suddenly cried out, scrambling onto the bed.

"Miss S-Sakura?" Hinata called after her, all colour draining from her face. Sakura turned to glance at her with one leg already through the window, head ducked uncomfortably under the curved rim.

"Lady Hinata, you stay down here where it's safe, I'll make sure Lady Hanabi is alright. Remember not to open the door until Captain Neji or the Lieutenant comes for you!"

"B-but-"

But Sakura was gone before Hinata could continue.

For a moment the heiress stood trembling, fingers tangling into the rough fabric of her shirt so tightly her knuckles drained white. She had wanted to keep Hanabi from danger but the younger girl had left anyway – to protect _her. _She winced when a sudden explosion sounded far away; footsteps skidded to a halt above her, a scream, and the ceiling reverberated with the intense fighting taking place on deck.

_Hanabi...Miss Sakura..._

Suddenly she whimpered and twisted around, flicking open the lock with numb fingers. She flung open the door, ready to scramble back up on deck because her sister, her friend, her cousin and Kiba and Ino and _everyone_ were all up there fighting and, and –

- and apparently Kiba had taken wise precautions. Hinata gasped when she found the doorway completely barred by a wall of furniture stacked to the ceiling.

She froze for a brief, dizzying moment, staring wildly at the musty wood jutting out in a chair leg here and a broom handle there. It would be impossible to break through; one hesitant push would probably send the entire structure tumbling down upon her. Slowly, she turned her head to shoot a terrified glance at the gaping hole that was the open window. Sunlight streamed brightly into the room, spilling onto the floor and bleaching the soft, terracotta rug by the bed. Fluffy white clouds drifted slowly across the sky; the sea was a peaceful stretch of stunning turquoise (and were those _dolphins_ frolicking cheerfully in the distance?)

She gulped.

_No! No, I can't, I can't...Lord, I'm too scared, I'll fall and I'll drown and – _

Two minutes later Hinata found herself balanced precariously on a narrow ledge that ran just below the window, arms stretched up as she clutched onto the edge of the top deck for dear life.

(Hopefully no one would notice her fingers peeking over the side of the ship. Or step on them.)

* * *

The top deck of the _Kyuubi _was drowned in a deafening silence; pirates and ex-navy members alike were frozen to the spot in shock, all eyes directed at the festering wound at the side of the _Akatsuki_. Then a piercing, wounded cry cut through the thick tension in the air – "_Captain Orochimaru!"_ - and the moment was shattered as Tayuya launched herself at a stunned Naruto in fury, followed by the rest of her comrades.

"Temari?" Tenten gasped, staring at the rapidly approaching galleon. A gurgle by her side snapped her back to attention and she dutifully tugged her knife out of her opponent's shoulder; the man hissed and fell to his knees, clutching at the freely flowing wound in a futile attempt to staunch the blood drenching into his shirt. Satisfied that he would be out of the fight for a good while, Tenten twisted away and rushed to the banisters, a hand coming up to shade her eyes from the glaring sun. Ino was by her side in an instance, a taut, uncomfortable expression on her face.

It was the _Shukaku. _The blonde woman visible at the bowsprit saluted her smugly, the wide smirk on her face evident even from afar; Tenten bit back a smile. "That's Temari alright. Talk about good timing! I was getting worried we'd never work through Orochimaru's horde of vermin."

Ino did not reply, merely spinning around to release a vicious kick to an approaching _Akatsuki_ member with obvious irritation. Tenten frowned, squinting her eyes against the harsh light reflecting off the sparkling water. "What's she doing?" she continued, casually slicing open the man's arm with a spare dagger while Ino held him down by stepping on his head, crushing his cheek into the wood with her heel. "She's signaling to Gaara...they're turning the ship...eh, just leave him, Ino." She grabbed the blonde's wrist and gave her a light tug. "Go tell the others Temari's men will be coming on board. I can deal with this area for now."

Ino nodded curtly and flew off once more, a streak of gold amidst the chaos on deck. Tenten replaced Ino's foot on the poor _Akatsuki_ member's head with her own, continuing to peer interestedly at the nearing _Shukaku. _

"Gaara's at the wheel...seems like he's recovered alright, that's good...hey, stop struggling, you! ...They've gotten some new men, wonder when they recruited them...where's Kankurou? Hey, what part of '_stop struggling'_ do you not understand?...That's a new gun she just used...I'll have to ask her what model it is later," she muttered vaguely under her breath.

"Why are they here?"

Tenten turned around abruptly, heel twisting painfully into her prisoner's ear. "Neji?" she blinked, the slight sheen of the Hyuuga's sweaty, bare torso dazzling her senses and momentarily throwing her off balance.

"They're your allies?" Neji pressed impatiently. A scythe curved through the air near them and embedded itself into the banister barely an inch from Tenten's arm, jolting her to her senses.

"Oh! Yes, yes they are," she told him as they both turned to face the fight once more. Wordlessly they stayed close together as they worked their way through the crowd, Tenten keeping attackers at bay by launching an interestingly diverse range of blades into the air and Neji relying on his close-combat skills to duel fiercely with the enemy one at a time. "That's Temari no Sabaku and her brothers on the _Shukaku. _Their father is the Kazekage of Sunagakure - Temari's the Commander of their navy, as you probably know. I suppose they've found us during one of their territorial patrols – no, no, it's alright," she hastened to reassure Neji, seeing his alarmed expression. "We've got a kind of...secret partnership going on, we go back a long way, they come to use our port on Leaf Island sometimes – eh –" she broke off, stumbling slightly when the ship tilted suddenly to the left. Neji shot out an arm and grabbed her by the elbows, steadying her. "- Thanks, I think Shikamaru must be steering us closer to them so they can board –"

"They've taken the Uchiha," he interrupted her bluntly.

"What?" Tenten jerked around in surprise; Neji had to duck to avoid the cutlass that she let loose as it sliced through what should have been his neck. "Sasuke?"

"Sasuke," he grunted, eyeing the young woman uneasily when the first signs of fear and rage began to replace her previously concentrated expression.

"Those dogs!" she swore loudly, digging into her cloth scabbard and emerging with eight different blades tucked between each finger. "When? Was he taken onto the _Akatsuki_ ?"

"Before your allies blew a hole into the side of the ship, yes," he told her tersely, launching himself forwards to exchange blows with a large, heavy set man with spider tattoos crawling black and thick over his skin. "Naruto's up in front, I think he needs help. We should find a way to reach him. I'll have your back once I finish with this brute."

"Aye," Tenten growled softly. "I will-"

The ship leaned steeply to the side again; this time it was Neji who slipped, a hand coming up to grasp at nothing but air, the tattooed man stepping forwards immediately to take advantage of his momentary weakness.

"- Back _you _up too, apparently," Tenten finished a little bemusedly, whipping quick as lightning between the two men and sinking all eight blades into their opponent's abdomen. Blood spilled thickly onto her fingers, staining them dark red; she jerked her fingers back, steel gleaming a wet crimson and pushed the man's body away as he fell heavily onto her shoulder.

"Apparently," Neji agreed.

By now Shikamaru and Gaara had managed to align their two ships parallel with each other, barely three metres apart.

"What a troublesome coincidence," Shikamaru announced when the crew from the _Shukaku _swung thick ropes across the small dividing stretch of sea. Chouji had lumbered back to help him secure them to the wooden posts along the deck; the _Shukaku _was the bigger ship and the _Kyuubi _rocked wildly from the pull of its weight.

"Yes, what a troublesome coincidence," Temari agreed mockingly, but her smirk softened into a cheerful grin as she strode confidently over the planks her crew had lowered between the two ships, jumping down lightly in front of Shikamaru. "Got caught by Orochimaru, I see. Well, I suppose it's inevitable that I'd have to come save you bedraggled bunch of criminals again. Be thankful we happened to pass by this area, you lucky bastard."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Let's get to it," he muttered, but a wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"What kind of welcome is that?" Temari joked, but she twisted on her heels, hands on her hips as she hollered back to her crew. "Men! Get your asses down here and show me that you deserve the fat bags of gold you're paid from my coffers! Gaara, come on! Our darling little Tenten is in need of aid!"

Somewhere near the forecastle of the ship an indignant squawk was heard and a cutlass arced through the air before embedding itself by Temari's feet. The blonde only grinned wider, bending forwards to retrieve the blade. "Alright! Let's go."

Chouji was helping the fresh wave of newcomers cross over from the _Shukaku _to their ship; he sent a quick nod in Shikamaru's direction and he narrowed his eyes, turning to face the skirmish at the front.

"Troublesome," he mumbled under his breath, and then he was off and running with the Commander of the Sunagakurean Navy by his side, grinning reluctantly at Temari's fierce war cry as they careened headlong into the fray.

* * *

Naruto cursed his luck. He had nearly managed to reach the bowsprit and the ropes that linked the _Kyuubi _to the _Akatsuki _– Sasuke-bastard was still visible near the wrecked forecastle of the ship, struggling fiercely within the grasp of several of Orochimaru's men – but the red haired bitch had latched herself upon him, kicking and screaming and generally doing her very best to hinder his chase after the Uchiha.

"Get off me!" Naruto yelled helplessly, ducking a punch aimed for his stomach. It hit his head instead and he reeled backwards into the banisters, stretching out a leg to trip over the raging woman before him.

"You pathetic land lubber!" Tayuya hissed, skipping neatly over his leg. "You and your filth have ruined Captain Orochimaru's ship! You're going to pay for that!"

"Not if I can help it," Naruto mumbled sulkily and heaved himself up, directing a spinning kick towards her face. "Wait for me, Sasuke-bastard! _I'm coming!_"

Tayuya caught his foot cleanly with one hand and twisted it viciously, sending him sprawling back onto the deck. "Fool! I'm going to make sure you don't see another sunrise, you-"

"Excuse me, excuse me, coming through!" Suddenly a small streak of black and white leaped between them from behind Naruto, landing nimbly by his legs.

"...Banshee?" Naruto's eyes widened.

Hanabi glanced down at him. "Naruto! What are you doing on the floor? Can't you see that there's a fight going on? Help out, won't you?"

With that, she scampered off and disappeared into the crowd of pirates with a toss of obsidian black hair. Naruto gaped after her, astounded. Where had she come from? Had she been perched on the banisters all along? How –

Suddenly another woman leaped down between the now very confused Tayuya and Naruto. This time, a head of pale pink hair was thrown back to reveal startling green eyes; Sakura looked down at the prone figure of Naruto at her feet and frowned.

"Naruto, are you alright? What are you doing on the floor? Come on, Hanabi and I have come to help out!"

And then she, too, was gone, deftly twisting into the mass of bloodied and sweating bodies, a blade clenched tightly between her fingers.

A moment of stunned inaction on both sides; Tayuya stared at the spot above Naruto's head as if waiting for more young ladies to suddenly appear and fling themselves between them. When no such thing occurred after a while, she shook herself and advanced upon the still shell-shocked Naruto, sliding a small dagger into her hand.

"Well then, I guess it's time for you to -"

"N-Naruto!"

"Yes, yes, I know there's a fight going on and yes, I'm getting up already alright?" Naruto shouted irritably, springing to his feet. No one appeared before him; he turned his head to the right and was surprised to find instead a quaking woman pressed against the other side of the banisters, looking small and terrified.

"Hinata?"

Hinata tightened her grip on the smooth, sea-worn wood, wide eyes a blank, shocked white at the sight of the storm of violence on deck. She was beginning to regret following the path of her sister and Miss Sakura – climbing unsteadily up using only the window, the ledge and the various ridges along the side of the ship for grip, she had come close to slipping and falling all the way down far too many times.

"Enough!" Tayuya snapped, at the end of her patience. "If this is some kind of trick to save your sorry ass, it's not going to work!" So saying, she raised the dagger to her chest and ran towards Hinata, thrusting the blade forwards in a vicious downwards arc. Hinata was frozen to the spot, too utterly frightened to move away from the fierce red head. Her gaze followed the path of the dagger as it sliced downwards, closer, closer, and she could see the blurred reflection of her pale eyes in the flash of silver and –

"Hinata!"

Naruto careened forwards, ramming into Tayuya with his shoulder. His hands found the Hyuuga's on the banister, gripping tightly down on hers in case she fainted and fell backwards into the sea. Hinata merely blinked at him.

"Th-thank you, N-Naruto-"

"Are you alright? Why are you up here, it's not safe! I'll carry you over–"

Hinata wasn't focused on what he was saying; her gaze wandered unsteadily to the woman flung barely a metre behind the worried blonde as she picked herself up and retrieved the dagger, a murderous look darkening her face.

"Na-Naruto...she's –" she began urgently, but Naruto was too absorbed in helping this poor, terrified little woman balanced so precariously on the edge the ship to listen.

"-And then I'll take you back down, but we'll have to hurry because they've taken Sasuke-bastard –"

"The w-woman, she's – "

Coming closer. Tayuya stole up behind the ranting Uzumaki with a dangerous glint in her eye, dagger once more held up in her outstretched hand.

"-We'll have to find Sakura and the bansh- I mean, your sister – as well, and then –" Naruto tried to pull Hinata over the banisters but she clutched onto the railings tightly and shook free of his grip. Tayuya was now immediately behind Naruto but he merely frowned, completely oblivious to the danger he was in. "Lass, you'll be alright with me. Let me just get you over now, easy, easy –"

Tayuya raised the dagger, preparing to thrust it into his neck.

_Oh Lord. _

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her fist, and swung it with as much strength as she could muster towards Tayuya's shocked face.


	10. You're Amazing

**Chapter 10: You're Amazing**

Hinata's fist flew through the air like a veritable cannon-ball and connected solidly with skin and bone. She winced, eyes still squeezed tightly shut, but was relieved to hear the hiss of steel slicing through empty air and something fall heavily onto the floor. Shocked silence; she inwardly congratulated herself and felt a new, strange thrill tingle up her spine. She had done it - she had saved Naruto from that horrible woman.

Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open and she peered out meekly from behind the banisters, fist still outstretched before her. "Naruto...?"

Tayuya stood before her, knife in hand and an astonished expression on her face. Hinata blinked. Where was he?

"Ouch." A rather pained groan floated up from somewhere below. Hinata started and glanced down only to see the blonde sprawled awkwardly on his back, nursing what was going to become a very ugly bruise on his jaw.

"N-Naruto! Oh, I'm so s-sorry – I – I –"

Suddenly Naruto swung his legs up and scissored Tayuya between his ankles while she was still frozen to the spot, jerking his hips so that she fell to the floor with a surprised cry. He rolled forwards immediately, a knee still crushing Tayuya's legs to the deck, and twisted the knife from her hands. "Aha! Trying to sneak up on me, huh? Huh? Well, we've got you now!" Cheerfully he clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the automatic stream of curses.

"N-Naruto...I'm s-sorry..." Oh, God. He was hurt because of her pathetic aiming. She was useless, _usless - _

Naruto snapped his head back to face her and Hinata was pleasantly surprised when she was greeted not with the expected scowl but a sunny grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Hinata! That was _amazing! _The way you punched me so I _just_ missed the knife – just amazing! I never would have thought of such a crazy tactic!"

"Eh... r-really?"

"Really! I didn't know you had it in you, lass. You should be proud of yourself! You – oof!"

Tayuya had managed to slip an arm free and was now thumping him repeatedly on the shoulder. Naruto struggled to pacify her, slamming her against the banisters and pressing the knife into her neck with a frustrated growl; Hinata swallowed and inched sideways along the ledge, pale gaze fixated on the frenzied woman.

"Enough."

All three froze when a voice cut coolly through the air. Naruto tried to turn his head around but was stopped abruptly when two needle thin blades whipped down from above and cut lightly into either side of his neck.

"Let go of her."

Naruto growled softly but his years sailing the seas as a pirate had taught him not to hesitate when in danger and he did as he was told, shooting a worried glance up at Hinata. She watched, heart in her throat as the new man stepped closer to the blonde and slid the blades casually along his skin, drawing blood. He was unbelievably pale, garbed in a loose white shift that opened up near his chest and exposed a heavy, chunky necklace made of what looked suspiciously like human teeth. The ivory gleamed a dull yellow under the bright sunlight and rankled together quietly whenever the man moved.

"Took you long enough, Kimimaro," Tayuya snorted as she stood up shakily, ripping her knife from Naruto's grasp. "I can take it from here now, let me just slit this buffoon's –"

"Leave him. Kabuto's calling us back to the ship. I'll deal with them."

"But-"

"Leave."

A short, tense pause; Tayuya hissed and bristled like an indignant cat but then stalked away angrily, sending one last, loathing look back at Naruto. Hinata gulped. Obviously 'Kimimaro' was even more dangerous than the woman, or at least was higher ranking in the hierarchy of Orochimaru's pirate crew; she shivered at the cold, detached expression on his face as he played with his blades, scratching a thin red welt across Naruto's collarbone.

"Oy! You better not –" Naruto began furiously, fingers clenching against the paneling of the deck.

"Silence." A deft flick of his wrists and razor sharp metal slid deeper into Naruto's skin. The blonde bit his lip reluctantly and Hinata blinked, willing the tears not to come. There was no time to cry, she had to find help, quick.

"Stand up and get yourself over the banisters. Next to her."

Scanning the mass of fighting men and women, she wondered briefly why there suddenly seemed to be uniformed men mingling with the pirates on deck but Naruto was picking himself off the ground hesitantly, stance rigid from the threat of the swords at his throat; she narrowed her eyes, continuing to search through the crowds. Please, let there be someone coming to save them, please...

Suddenly she caught sight of the tall, imposing figure of Shino, forging his way through the churning mass of bodies with silent but deadly precision. Shards of light reflected from his long sword as he thrust and parried seamlessly, the elegance and economy of his swordsmanship betraying his aristocratic upbringing. A forward lunge, a practiced rotation of his wrist and another pirate was down; he turned, face a smooth blank, and Hinata started when their gazes interlocked across the makeshift battlefield. Shino understood the helpless plea in her eyes immediately and was off and running, the long coat he insisted on wearing billowing behind him. Hinata curled her fingers tightly into her palms. _Please, please let him be in time -_

"Do it, now," Kimimaro ordered coldly, and Naruto flipped himself awkwardly over the banisters to stand protectively by her side, one hand sliding over hers on the polished wood. "On the count of three, I want you both to jump off the ship. Understand?"

"You're crazy!" Naruto burst out incredulously. Kimimaro merely shrugged, a lazy roll of milky shoulders.

"I would rather not soil my blades on undeserving vermin," he told them softly, tracing the tip of his swords casually down Naruto's chest. "Ready?"

Naruto's hand tightened over hers. "Just me. Not the lass. I'll jump."

"Both of you."

"You bastard," Naruto growled, trying to buy time for the both of them. His gaze slid over Kimimaro to rest uneasily on the fast approaching Aburame. "Even a pirate should have a code of honour-"

"One."

Hinata bit her lip.

"Two."

Shino burst forwards, ramming away one of the uniformed soldiers and unsheathing his sword.

"Three," Kimimaro intoned blandly, and twisted in one smooth motion to lock blades with the Aburame. The shriek of metal tore through the air; Kimimaro crossed his swords to block the downwards thrust Shino had aimed at his back and the two men crashed into the banisters, unbalanced from Shino's momentum.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Kimimaro suddenly ducked, viciously curving his swords outwards to rip against Shino's chest; the taller man twisted back, blocking both with a wide sweep of his sword but leaving his legs deliberately exposed. Kimimaro immediately changed tactics and drove his blades downwards, aiming for his feet. To his surprise Shino grabbed his hands and pushed down, adding his weight to the downward motion before sliding away at the last moment when the blades were driven with a sickening crack deep into the deck. Thanks to their needle-like build, the blades did not snap and instead slid easily into the wood. Kimimaro hissed when a hard tug failed to retrieve them and snapped back just in time to grasp onto Shino's wrist, the two of them wrestling momentarily for control of his sword, lunging and tugging and -

"Hinata!" A desperate pull from Kimimaro sent the blade swinging wildly towards the terrified Hyuuga and Naruto lunged sideways, an arm snaking around her waist to keep her from falling as he shielded her with his body. The tip of the sword sliced across his cheek, opening a small cut in his skin; Shino narrowed his eyes and swung a heavy punch into Kimimaro's abdomen (the dirtiest move he had ever made, Naruto would tell Hinata later when all this was over), and while Kimimaro was doubled over with his hand still clenched around the hilt of the sword, promptly stabbed it through his shoulders.

When the blade slid out from flesh it was slick with new blood. Kimimaro hissed in pain and pushed Shino away, the teeth by his chest clicking and rattling together violently as he stumbled back towards the bow with the rest of Orochimaru's crew.

"Thank you, Shino," Naruto muttered. Hinata glanced up, alarmed at the suddenly weakened tone of his voice. "You've saved me. Again."

Shino sighed and lay a steadying hand on his shoulder. Naruto reached up and fingered the cut on his cheek.

"Did you..."

"Additionally concentrated for the fight," Shino told him, shaking his head. "Not enough to kill, though."

The blonde nodded understandingly. "I knew it," he mumbled, becoming increasingly incoherent with each word. "Listen, find Sasuke-bastard and bring him back, will you? We only got him back for such a short time, and now those bastards are tryin' to take him again...Oh, and take care of the lass, she's good at punching, but..."

"N-Naruto!" Hinata cried out, horrified, when he slumped unconscious against her shoulder. Shino immediately hooked an arm under his and hoisted his limp form over the banisters.

"What h-happened to him?" Hinata demanded when Shino gently lifted her across. "Is he d-dead? Will h-he be alright? Is-"

"It's the poison on my sword," Shino interrupted her quietly. "It renders the victim unconscious." He gestured to where Kimimaro was currently being dragged away, slumped over another crew member's shoulders. "_He_ will be semi-paralysed for a long time. Naruto will be alright since it was only a small cut, but I'm afraid he'll still be out for a while. I'll take you both downstairs."

"Alright," Hinata sighed, kneeling to brush her fingers tiredly over the blonde's forehead.

_Naruto..._

* * *

Shikamaru knew they were going to lose Sasuke the moment he spotted Hanabi and Sakura struggling to fight amidst his comrades.

It wasn't that he doubted their intentions – he knew that they meant the best, that they wanted to help and fight with all the intensity of any enraged female – but the truth was that they were both court ladies and completely unversed in the ways of dirty fighting (or fighting, period). Extra soldiers in a battle meant nothing unless they were skilled. Hanabi and Sakura were instead liabilities – people who had to be protected, people who could be used by the opponent. He could see the way Tenten was exerting unnecessary effort making sure they were safe from afar, sending deadly projectiles slicing their way when the women were overpowered. Fortunately Neji was with her – they made up a surprisingly efficient partnership despite having never fought together before, and it was lucky that he took care of the enemy within their area or Tenten would never have had the expendable energy or time to watch out for the two.

"Who are they?"

Shikamaru turned after delivering a hard kick into the unsuspecting back of an _Akatsuki_ crew member. Temari was by his side, apparently having also noticed the two newest female additions to their crew.

"Hyuuga and friend. We picked them up along with Sasuke," he sighed. Temari scrunched up her nose.

"I think we should get them out before they get hurt," she said seriously, stabbing her dagger into her opponent's thigh. "What were you thinking, sending them out to fight? Look at them! They can't even hold their swords properly!"

"I _didn't _send them out," Shikamaru muttered. The two of them were skittering in between the individual fights, helping out here and there. Most of the _Akatsuki_ men were beginning to head back to their ship but quiet a few remained, dragging out the fight with his friends and Temari's small band of soldiers.

He spotted Ino, a flash of yellow dashing in between the silver and crimson of battle. "Let's go get the women out."

Temari bared her teeth in a wide, feline grin. "I hope you're not implying anything."

"... ...Heh."

* * *

Sakura fumbled with the knife in her hand, trying to remember what had possessed her to follow Hanabi up. She felt weak, useless and worst of all, completely vulnerable. The hour with Ino had not been enough to cover more than the basics of how to handle a weapon; she used it clumsily, awkwardly, tripping in between pirates and soldiers alike. She knew Hanabi was having the same problem but the younger woman was determined to fight, thrusting and parrying with unpracticed motions, relying on the enemy's surprise at being confronted by a young, white-eyed woman (she had barely passed her adolescence, Sakura mourned privately. So young and already drenched in blood .)

A dying man stumbled into her and she jerked back, whimpering despite herself. "Hanabi, this isn't working."

"Sakura!"

She spun around, relieved to see Ino vaulting over the corpse, landing nimbly in front of her. "Ino! God, I had no idea it was going to be like this – this is – this is _hell_ – "

"It's alright, just stick by me and I'll get us through," Ino promised her fiercely, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "The _Akatsuki_ scum are retreating but we're too far back, we'll get trapped when they try to cross back over to their ship. Where's Hanabi?"

"Over there." She pointed to the center of the deck where Hanabi was trying and failing to take on three men at once.

Ino sucked in a sharp breath. "The little fool. I'll go get her. You stay here," she told her, pushing her hurriedly behind a group of corpses piled up nearby. Sakura repressed a shudder and tried to ignore the blank, vacant gazes of the dead men. "I'll come back for you, don't worry."

Sakura couldn't bear to face the bodies and shut her eyes tightly when Ino sped away. She had never been a particularly cowardly woman but this – this took more than courage to face. Hanabi was reckless. There was a difference.

_Oh God please end this now. Please keep us all safe please help these men please – _

A hand clamped down on her shoulder and her eyes snapped open. "Ino?"

It wasn't.

Hanabi started when the terrified scream pierced the air around her and she spun around, eyes wild. "Sakura!"

Ino gasped at the sight of Sakura being hoisted over the shoulder of an unpleasantly familiar, silver haired man. "Kabuto! Free her immediately, you dirty scumbag of a pirate! Put her down now! Kabuto!" Inwardly she cursed herself for having left the woman alone. She had hoped the corpses would hide her until she got back, but...

"Sakura, I'm coming!" she yelled, blonde ponytail whipping from side to side as jumped up to chase after the kidnapper. A hand at her elbow suddenly stopped her, tugging her back abruptly. She twisted around angrily, ready to beat the hell out of whoever it was silly enough to pick a fight with Yamanaka Ino.

"Ino, you should leave."

She gaped up at the faintly irritated expression of her comrade. "Shikamaru?"

"Get out of here, it's not safe," he continued. Her gaze slid sideways; Temari was by his side, trying to convince a panicking Hanabi to let them retrieve Sakura. "We'll go after them."

"I'll help. Let's go, he's reaching the backboard."

"No, Ino. Don't be so troublesome. It's too dangerous."

She took a deep breath. _Don't lose your temper now. Don't. Sakura's in danger. Now is not the time to get jealous. Not now –_

"Shikamaru," she started, but he cut her before the next breath.

"Kiba." He pulled the Inuzuka seemingly out of nowhere (though of course he had been tracking the movements of each and everyone of his crew, as usual.) "Take them back."

"Shika!" Ino cried, outraged. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Why do I always get stuck with the women?" Kiba groaned, grabbing Ino and Hanabi.

"Wait – Shika – " Ino tried to argue, to tell Shikamaru that she could do this, that she _had _to do this – but he was gone, Temari by his side, the two of them running after Kabuto and Sakura without a backwards glance.

"Not again, Kiba," Hanabi scowled, pulling herself free of his grasp. Ino merely glared at the poor man until he let go of her sleeve sheepishly.

"That's better," she told him.

* * *

Neji felt Tenten tense behind him and frowned when a scythe was flung blatantly off-mark. "What is it?"

"Sakura," she murmured. "Kabuto's got her."

He turned around to see a silver haired man jumping onto the backboard of the ship, Sakura clutched to his chest. The sunlight reflected sharply off his glasses, obscuring his eyes and emphasizing the confident smirk cracked across his features.

"The traitor?" he asked, anger creeping into his voice and sharpening it to a dangerous edge. When they had first spotted Sakura and Hanabi arriving on deck it had taken nearly all of Tenten's powers of persuasion to convince him not to rush over and force them back down to safety. Something about deserving the chance to prove their worth, to help out, she had said. He had accepted her arguments only reluctantly, seeing that Sasuke was in immediate danger (and anyway, he figured that Tenten probably needed him around.)

Now he felt that he only had himself to blame for Sakura's current predicament.

"We're the closest," he noted, glancing around at the others scattered about the deck. The backboard was a few feet away; they were separated only by a few of the _Akatsuki _crew.

She nodded. "Let's go get-"

"Ssstay where you are."

They glanced up. Tenten stepped back involuntarily, a hand immediately going to her scabbard. _"Orochimaru."_

The Captain of the _Akatsuki_ had finally shown up. He was perched on the backboard next to Kabuto, a saber hanging casually between his fingers and a wide-brimmed, feathered black hat hiding half his face in shadow.

The entire deck was frozen, all faces turned up to watch the legendary and immensely feared pirate captain, claimed by most to be the deadliest villain working the seven seas. He was wearing a fitted coat that skimmed his wide, black boots; a ruffled shirt peeked out from beneath expensive black trousers, complete with gold chains and jewellery hanging in excess from his pockets.

Neji gravely observed that he must be skilled indeed to fight well with such heavy adornment.

"Take one step further," Orochimaru told them quietly, his voice dry and scratched but still somehow carrying clearly across the ship; "And she dies."

"Orochimaru," Tenten said warningly. "Don't –"

He lifted the saber to rest threateningly at her neck. "Not today, Tenten." He smiled mockingly down at her. "I'm taking Sssasuke."

"He'll never give you what you want," Tenten assured him coldly. "Now hand them both back and we might consider letting your men live."

"Are you willing to risk her life for your sssilly little bluff?" Orochimaru asked smugly.

She had no answer for that and could only watch as his smile widened in to a self satisfied smirk.

"No? Well then, men, let's return to the ship. One move," he reminded Tenten. "One move, and her throat is sssslit."

A deathly silence descended upon the pirates and soldiers on deck, broken only by the scraping of steel and the footsteps of the men limping quietly across the connecting planks.

"Sakura!" Hanabi cried out suddenly, sounding truly frightened and lost for the first time during the whole ordeal. Sakura gazed down at them, lips parting softly.

_I'm sorry. _

And then they were gone, Orochimaru the last to step off the ship with a jaunty wave of gloved hands, his last words ringing in their ears. _And of course, if you follow us...she dies immediately._

Hanabi blinked back the tears.

* * *

Early afternoon and the crew of the _Kyuubi _were slumped tiredly on deck, nursing their wounds. Tenten was bustling about, trying to take her mind off the guilty feeling of having failed her crew by making sure their injuries were being tended to. Hanabi had trailed downstairs after Shino to find Hinata. Temari and her men had returned to their ship.

Shikamaru was lying on his back, legs spilling down onto the first few steps of the main stairway. He looked up when Ino stalked past him and pulled himself up to see her make her way down the stairs. "Where are you going?"

She didn't reply. He watched her silently for a few seconds before sighing and standing up, following her as she limped through the narrow corridors below deck to her cabin. Stretching out a hand to stop her from closing the door in his face, he stared down at her grimly.

"You're angry at me."

No reply.

"Why?"

Nothing.

"Ino..."

"You let her fight."

"What?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, surprised. Ino kept her eyes on the door.

"You let her fight, you stupid ass," she muttered. "What about me? Why can't _I _fight? Is she so much better than me? Is that it? You think I can't handle what _she _can?"

Shikamaru groaned. "No, of course not – Ino, come on, don't be so troublesome-"

"Be quiet! I'm so sick of you and your – your _troublesome _and – and now Sasuke and Sakura are _gone _and – just go away and leave me alone!"

_"Ino-"_

"Go away, damn it!" Ino pushed him away from her as hard as she could. Shikamaru stumbled out into the corridor and she slammed the door behind him, eyes suspiciously red.

..._Troublesome. _


	11. The Lair of the Devil

**Chapter 11: The Lair of the Devil**

Sasuke had no idea who blew the hole in the side of Orochimaru's ship, but that didn't matter. The smoke and chaos that ensued onboard was an opportunity to escape that he planned on using to his full advantage.

A vicious jerk of his knee, a sudden twist of his ankles. No good – they still had hold of his limbs, their grips tightening with each move he tried. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and snapped his neck back, smashing his head into the jaw of the man holding him from behind. A muffled curse; the hands at his elbows slackened briefly and he immediately tilted forwards, twisting his torso abruptly to send a punch flying into the man's chest.

"Curses! Quick, get him–"

Too late. Sasuke grabbed the man by the shoulders before he toppled backwards and slammed his body heavily on top of the dark haired young woman hanging onto his knee.

Two more to go. He cast his glance onto the men fumbling to restrain him, faintly surprised to see that their faces were identical. He swung a fist at them; they swayed away as one. Siamese twins?

Feh. He could deal with them.

"Sakon. Get Kin's knife," one grunted, jerking his head towards the prone body of the woman by their feet before slamming both of them into Sasuke, taking advantage of their bigger body mass to knock the Uchiha off balance. They ducked down when Sasuke staggered backwards, Sakon bending forwards to unsheathe the blade.

Sasuke's hand instinctively reached for his own sword, his fingers resting onto the scabbard swung around his shoulders. Nothing. They must've taken it off him during the struggle.

"So tell us, Uchiha," the other twin crooned softly. "Where's that pretty treasure chest of yours, huh? Where is it?"

He raised an eye brow, stance stiffening imperceptibly. Sakon smirked and the two leaped forwards together, brandishing the knife threateningly in the air. Sasuke stepped forwards to meet them, blocking the incoming blow with a raised elbow; a brief tensing of his calves and he sprang up, one foot rising to meet the thick, fleshy center where the twins were joined at the hip. Two pairs of eyes widened as the Uchiha soared above them, pressing them both into the ground. The three collapsed noisily onto the deck and Sasuke automatically wrested the knife from Sakon's grip, bringing the long blade hurtling down onto their exposed necks –

"Ssssasuke."

The knife stopped, cold metal barely touching flushed skin; Sasuke felt his blood run cold despite himself. That voice, coming from _behind _him, in the direction of the _Kyuubi..._

"Orochimaru." _Damn_ him. He hadn't even seen the pirate captain go past in the chaos that had enveloped him when he was dragged onboard. He was surrounded – but more importantly, it meant that Tenten and the rest of the crew were most probably in grave danger. "What's the matter? Can't spare these two freaks from your entourage?"

"Not if I can help it."

Sasuke grit his teeth, grinding a knee into the twin's joined center and pivoting to face the villain. "I'm never going to – "

Startling green eyes met cold obsidian; Sasuke felt his heart sink when he saw the shivering prisoner held by the man at Orochimaru's side. _Sakura. _

Orochimaru smiled, a long tongue darting out to wet his lips. "Friend of yours?" he asked smugly.

Sasuke scowled. "No."

An elegantly raised eyebrow. "No?"

Sakura hissed when the knife at her throat was pressed deeper into the tender skin. "Sasuke – " _This is it. He's never going to... we barely know each other... he won't..._

"No," Sasuke repeated dully, but the hand holding the knife loosened and he stood up shakily, backing away from the Siamese twins.

It was over. Sasuke knew the drill, knew that for now he had lost. Only a rough sort of justice was obeyed on the seas; an eye for an eye, a life for a life. He knew that Orochimaru wasn't playing around, that one false move from him and a deep crimson gash would appear across Sakura's pale throat.

_Feh. _He fisted his hands involuntarily, narrowing his eyes angrily at the smirking Orochimaru and the frightened woman in Kabuto's arms. Tenten would never have allowed any of her crew to be captured without putting up a fight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the rest of Orochimaru's men file grimly onto the ship. No, it was obvious in the tired but victorious grins spread across their faces, in the terror that wet Sakura's gaze. Tenten had lost.

Suddenly a keening wail pierced the air – "_Sakura!" _- and Orochimaru seemed to snap out of his self-satisfied moment of glory, resting a hand on Kabuto's shoulders. "Take them to the dungeons."

Sasuke felt a rough hand clamping onto his wrist but did not protest when he was led down the main hatch, his eyes boring stonily into Sakura's back as she was dragged down before him. The bright afternoon sunlight gradually faded into grey as they stumbled below deck; he could hear Orochimaru shouting directions from above, assigning half his men to do emergency repair work and the rest to get them sailing.

And then the hatch closed on them and all that was left was candlelight, flickering waves of dirty yellow and orange washing faintly over paneled wood. The _Akatsuki _was big, much bigger than the _Kyuubi; _the inner corridors had once been finely furnished but now showed the wear of one too many years at sea. That, and the fact that Orochimaru's men had never been too concerned with cleaning.

Sasuke hated everything about the ship.

It had once belonged to the Royal Navy of Konoha, commanded by no other than Uchiha Itachi, then a rising star within military ranks. Sasuke remembered the day his brother returned to the Uchiha mansion fuming about the pirate crew who had taken over and stolen his patrol ship, leaving his men, defeated and humiliated, to struggle through the Straits on a small sailing boat. At the time he had been enraged for his sake, having grown up staring at the beautiful, towering ship in awe from the pier by his family home. He had been envious of his brother's fortune, had wished to be in command of a ship as grand, if not better, when he followed his brother's footsteps in the military.

Now Sasuke bristled involuntarily, glaring darkly at his surroundings. The traces of his traitor brother and Orochimaru stained the ship and trapped him here, away from the sun and salty air.

He snapped to attention when they finally ended their continual descent. The _Akatsuki's _corridors were neatly and logically designed, unlike the _Kyuubi's. _The corridors revolved around a long, rectangular stairwell with cabins and viewing rooms branching off on the outer side; each sharp corner hid the perpendicular adjoining corridor from view until the walker reached the end of the gallery. It was with a start that the two prisoners turned after a series of impossibly long flight of stairs and found themselves faced with a huge, dusty iron gate with freshly oiled hinges, a guard leaning against the wall with a heavy set of keys dangling from his pocket. Behind the gate was darkness, a pitch black that seemed to suck the dim, flickering light from the corridor into a never ending abyss.

The guard looked up when they approached, lifting his upper lip to reveal a gleam of yellowed teeth. "Uchiha."

Sasuke ignored him. Sakura bit her lip when the gate was opened and they were pushed in. Kabuto didn't bother shackling her to the wall, merely giving a curt nod to the guard before striding away back up the stairs.

She had barely uttered a word since her capture, too overwhelmed by the mixture of fear, guilt and anger pulsating through her veins and the questions that burned in her mind. _Why wasn't I brave enough why didn't I help why did I bring so much trouble to Tenten...why did Sasuke save me? Why? _

A loud, jarring clang as Sasuke was thrown onto the floor and the iron gates were swung shut, rattling on their hinges. The darkness swallowed her alive.

And then a familiar voice echoed loudly from deep within the cell. "MISS SAKURA! WHAT EVIL HAS BROUGHT YOU TO THIS LAIR OF THE DEVIL?"

"... Sir Lee?"

* * *

Rule number two hundred and fifty three in the Konohan Royal Navy Guide Book on Fighting, Manners and Personal Hygiene, Neji remembered, stated that a Captain should always act on the good of the largest number of his crew during battle.

Whilst he was no longer a part of the Royal Navy – and voluntarily so, having decided that he would quit his post even if he ever returned to Konoha (perhaps he would take Hinata, rent a farm on the outskirts of the city. Somewhere the Hyuuga Elders would never find her) – Neji was still too deeply entrenched in their ways to shake off the protocol that had been burned into his mind through years of strict training, especially only after one day of admittedly drastic changes in his circumstances. As prudish as an old woman of seventy five he may be, but he had not been one of the most looked up to Captains in the Navy for no reason. When disaster struck (note that his personal definition of 'disaster' had never, until last night, included female charges brandishing big knives, the very idea of it having never crossed his mind) he had consistently shown an ability to think coolly and clearly, to act with a degree of impartiality that branded him, in some people's eyes, as a cold hearted bastard.

Now that a new, uglier world had been revealed to him, Neji understood that he would need to adjust to a new set of values pretty soon. Hiding his emotions (which recently had only ranged from surprised to really, really surprised) was getting harder to do. However –

Rule number two hundred and fifty three, in his professional opinion, was quite a sensible rule to follow. True, he was extremely worried for Sakura – a young lady, kidnapped by pirates! (While wearing only a thin shirt, no less!) But he knew that there had been nothing he or anyone of Tenten's crew could have done, and that any aggressive reaction on their part at the time would have resulted in many injuries on their side, if not deaths. Sakura would have to be rescued as soon as possible – along with that shady character of Uchiha Sasuke, he supposed – but right now, his priority was the immediate well being of his new crew.

Which, unfortunately, included a rather frustrating female.

Tenten turned around to find Neji standing sternly by her side with a frown creasing his forehead. She had just finished patching up a cut on Kiba's shoulder, making sure his wound was clean and properly dressed before allowing him to slink away after Hanabi. Both she and the Inuzuka had seen the raw fear in the young woman's eyes as the reality of battle crashed down upon her and death became a very real possibility, instead of the fun and games that she had imagined it to be. Tenten knew that there wasn't much Kiba could do to make this any easier for Hanabi but she let him go anyway, seeing the guilt and faint worry etched onto his face.

Now for some reason Neji was staring down at her, brows furrowed.

Tenten wiped away the sweat from her eyes. "Neji?"

"You're bleeding," he pointed out grimly. Surprised, she glanced down to see that her wound had opened up again, new blood seeping through the bandages and into her shirt.

"Oh, shiver me timbers. I hadn't noticed," she sighed, reaching for the roll of bandages in the medic pouch. "Thanks."

"You should have tended to yourself first before checking the rest of the crew," he berated her irritably. This woman rather worried him. It seemed like she was always too preoccupied trying to help others when she was clearly in need of help herself. Pfft. _This _was why women would never make good sailors (apparently he had forgotten that he had regarded Tenten as completely unfeminine only a while back) – they were too – well –too _nice _(apparently he had also forgotten that just last night he had been on the wrong end of her pointy things many, many times) - too soft -

"Ouch!" Neji jerked away from her, starting. "Heavens, woman! What was that for?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, holding out the cotton swab in front of her in a distinctly non-threatening manner. "I was just trying to clean that cut on your arm. I'm sure it stings, but I would've thought you'd be able to handle a little bit of pain."

He drew himself up to his full height. "How preposterous. I was merely unprepared, that's all. If you're insinuating that I, a former Captain of –"

"Yes, yes, I know," Tenten interrupted hastily. "Right, of course. You were unprepared. Naturally." She poured more rum from a small bottle in her hand onto the swab before reaching out and dabbing it lightly over the shallow cut on his arm, a sad smile tilting up the corner of her lips. Neji bit back a wince and tried to take the pain like a man.

Women, he mused, _were_ really much too soft and nice to be good fighters – but now he hesitated to say that they were too weak. Not when standing before him was a woman who, oddly enough, was living proof against the contrary.

"You put up a good fight back there," he told her grudgingly. He had been surprised at how well their differing styles matched one another, how smoothly they had coordinated their attacks. He and Kiba had taken years of practicing together to reach that level of mute cooperation in battle; he and Tenten had met for barely a full day. "Your accuracy and precision are really quite impressive."

Tenten blinked at him. "Thank you." An awkward pause. "Uh.. ...you did great too."

"Hn."

"Tenten!"

They turned to see Temari striding back across the planks onto their ship, this time followed by two men, both in the pale brown uniform of the Sunagakurean military.

"Temari. Thanks for the help earlier." Tenten tried to smile at the blonde as they approached. She nodded at the two men. "Gaara, Kankurou."

The red head stepped forwards grimly. "Apologies for not coming to help myself, Tenten. I had to keep our ship in order because Kankurou was indisposed."

The sandy haired man by his side raised a heavily bandaged arm sheepishly. "Broke it during one of our raids."

Tenten shook her head. "That's alright, I don't think it would have made a difference, really."

"Well? So what's the plan now?" Temari demanded, a hand on her hip. "Chouji updated me on what happened with Sasuke. You'd better hurry if you want to get him back from Orochimaru. And that other girl, the pink haired one. I'm assuming you want her back too."

Tenten nodded. "I'll have to gather the crew and work out something, I guess," she said tiredly. "For now, they just need to rest."

_As do you, _Neji wanted to point out, but he caught the curious eye of the Sand three and coughed. "Hyuuga Neji. Pleased to meet you."

Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow when the Hyuuga extended a hand but shook it firmly. Kankurou frowned a little over their handshake.

"Hyuuga? Isn't that some noble family from Konoha?"

"One of the oldest," Neji confirmed conversationally. "Tenten here kindly abducted me and my charges when we were on our way to Sunagakure."

"Oh?" Gaara glanced at Tenten and she had a feeling that if he had eyebrows, both would be somewhere up near his hairline. "Did she now?"

"He was about to be slaughtered by Orochimaru," she defended herself a little crossly. "I saved him."

To her surprise a small smile actually cracked across Neji's face, softening his features into something quite pleasant. "Yes, she did," he agreed. Tenten suddenly found her cheeks heating up, much to her mortification.

Temari was looking between the two with a bemused expression on her face. "Right. So, back to the plan," she announced briskly. "Where's Shikamaru? You should drag him over, he's got the best brains for the job."

Tenten winced. "Last time I saw him, he was running after Ino. She didn't look that happy."

Temari's smile faltered a little but she continued on nonchalantly. "Really? ... ...Well, I guess you're right about letting the crew rest. My men are ridiculously tired after that short bout of fighting - I really should cut their pay, those pampered weaklings. We'll come back later in the evening to sort out the battle plan."

Neji noted that she didn't seem to even realize that Tenten had not specifically asked for help. Or perhaps she did, but merely ignored the fact and charged onwards as she seemed rather prone to do. He had noticed her fighting alongside Shikamaru previously – the third female skilled in the arts of battle he had encountered within one day, to his vague horror and fascination (why, back in Konoha the words 'woman' and 'fight' were never even used in the same sentence as each other!).

Tenten nodded again. "Go get some rest."

Neji resisted rolling his eyes. Temari merely flashed that beautiful wild grin of hers encouragingly before twisting around, beckoning her brothers after her. "You too."

"Yes, you too." Neji cornered Tenten with a baleful glare.

She swallowed. "Uh...right."

* * *

The sunset bled vast swathes of red and gold across the night sky, vivid, shimmering colour fading down and seeping into the worn wood of the top deck. Like the desert that bordered it, the Suna controlled waters dropped in temperature rapidly as darkness approached; the few remaining wisps of mist that drifted occasionally over the _Kyuubi_ slipped wet and cold over the huddled figures on board like the ghosts of unfortunate seafarers long dead.

Chouji had managed to drag everyone on deck, there not being enough space in the cramped quarters below to allow for a proper conference with the Sand siblings. Temari and her brothers sat cross legged alongside Tenten's crew, the pirates, fugitives and naval officers alike forming a large, rather ominous looking circle of silhouettes. Neji peered into the semi-darkness, watching carefully as their faces were outlined in gold by the setting sun.

The recently awakened Naruto, being the only enthusiastic one in the entire group besides Temari, was busily expounding on how he was going to beat Orochimaru into a bloody pulp once they found him. "- And then I'm gonna yank his ridiculous moustache _right off his face_, and then I'm going to make sure he gets pulled under the keel until his back is completely, filthily raw, and then Hinata will punch him with one of her amazing punches, and then – "

"You realize," Shikamaru cut in smoothly, "That we'll have to _find _them first before you can do any of that."

Naruto blinked, expression souring a little. "Details, details. A pirate's got more to life than details!" He waved his hand through the air expansively.

Shikamaru sighed. "Troubles-"

Tenten caught the fierce expression on Ino's face across the deck and hastily interrupted, raising her voice slightly to drown out Shikamaru. "So, any ideas on where Orochimaru might have taken Sasuke and Sakura?"

"The Bay of Sound?" Chouji suggested.

"What for?"

"I heard that's where he's got his hideaway."

"Nah. That's too far and troublesome a journey."

"Leaf Island!"

"Kabuto wouldn't have found it yet, Naruto. Besides, they've got Sasuke. Orochimaru wouldn't be interested again for a long while."

"Tenten," Shino spoke up quietly. "Do you think Sasuke would show Orochimaru where to find the treasure map?"

The brunette bit her lip. "I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "If Sakura wasn't taken, I'm certain he wouldn't. Not even if they threatened to kill him – it's too important to him, even though he's never really told me why. But with Sakura as their bargaining tool..."

Collective silence.

Neji coughed; all heads swiveled to face him. "And if he didn't? What would happen to him and Miss Sakura?"

"Orochimaru wouldn't kill them, would he?" Hanabi asked anxiously.

"He wouldn't dare!" Naruto burst out furiously. "If he hurt Sasuke-bastard or Sakura, I'm going to – I'm going to – "

"He wouldn't." Gaara's expression was solemn. "Orochimaru is a pirate, like you. He wants gold. Sasuke is...well, gold."

Shikamaru nodded. "If Sasuke really refuses to give Orochimaru the treasure map, he'd most probably sell them both back to the Konohan authorities for the bounty reward. Or worse," He threaded his fingers tiredly through spiky locks. "Itachi."

"Even if Sasuke does cooperate with him, Orochimaru would still sell him afterwards," Kankurou pointed out. "And Itachi would definitely pay him highly. He wants Sasuke silenced, doesn't he?"

"Aye," Ino growled. "Perhaps we should go straight to Konoha, then. Infiltrate the Uchiha residence, find out when Itachi gets hold of Sasuke."

"But what if Sasuke managed to escape? He's not some inexperienced landlubber. What if he finds a way to leave the ship?" Temari countered. "We'd be looking in completely the wrong direction."

Neji frowned. "There's nowhere to leave to. I'm assuming that Sasuke buried his map somewhere on land. Unless Orochimaru docks his ship, or Sasuke leads them to an island or either side of the Straits, then there is no reasonable way for Sasuke and Miss Sakura to escape."

"I think," Tenten murmured, rubbing her temples wearily with her fingertips. "I think that we should split up. Half of us will lie in wait in Konoha. Half will go to where Sasuke has hidden his treasure - in case he really decides to cooperate with Orochimaru or tries to slip away there. That's really all we can do for now."

"Aye." Murmured words of assent rose from around the circle.

"I'll go to Konoha," Ino offered. "I know the streets best."

Tenten nodded. "I'll go with you. Chouji, Shino, you can join us. Shikamaru, I want you to lead the others. I don't think that I should – " she paused, biting her lip. "- I don't think I should tell anyone where the map is exactly. Sasuke wants it hidden and I've got no right to expose his secret without his permission...but I'll give you directions to the general vicinity, anyway. You should be able to find them if Orochimaru really is there." She turned to the Hyuuga sisters. "It would be unwise for you to return to Konoha, so you should follow Shikamaru. The same goes for you," she continued, glancing towards Neji and Kiba. "However, I would think that one of you should join my group, especially if we were to infiltrate Uchiha property."

Kiba glanced at Neji. "I've never been on their grounds."

"I'll go then," Neji offered. "I've been to the Uchiha complex a few times for official visits and such."

"We'd rather not go to Konoha like this," Temari spoke up. "You know, diplomatic problems. It would be a pain having to get through immigration without a valid excuse, and if we were caught by the Konohan patrol there'd be hell to pay."

Tenten nodded. "That's alright. We'll stay with the _Kyuubi_, then. You can take the others to find the map."

"Right." The blonde leaned back, satisfied. "We'll leave at dawn."


	12. Fear Not, Fair Maiden

**Argh, I never thought it would be so difficult to write Sasuke. Pardon me, Sasuke fans, for I have sinned. (I also never realized making fun of a character could be quite so fun.)**

**--**

**Chapter 12: Fear Not, Fair Maiden**

"Yosh! It is indeed I!" Energetic shuffling was heard from the recesses of the cell; Sakura's jaw dropped in surprise when a tired but exuberant Lee emerged, crawling on all fours towards them. His uniform was torn and frayed, material ripped away to show a ring of nasty bruises around his thigh, but it was unmistakably him – the shiny bowl cut, the gleaming white teeth that seemed to light up the surrounding area...definitely him.

"Sir Lee!" Sakura smiled widely, momentarily forgetting her fear. "Oh God, I'm so glad – are you hurt? I thought you had died – I thought –"

Then Lee's twin came crawling heavily out of the darkness behind him, wearing the same cheerful grin. "Lee! It seems that you know this fair lady and this – why, is it – _Sasuke?" _

She blinked, even more surprised, and realized that this twin was much older, rougher around the edges and slightly taller. Everything else about them, though, was disturbingly similar. "Who...?" She glanced questioningly at Lee as he came to kneel before them. Sasuke's expression, meanwhile, was an interesting mix of surprise, relief and distaste.

"Gai," he mumbled. "So you're alive after all, huh?"

"Indeed I am, Sasuke! Indeed I am!" Gai flashed them a thumbs up sign, settling himself into a manly pose by Lee's side. "Lee, why don't you introduce me to this lovely young flower?"

"Yosh! Miss Sakura, this is Maito Gai, mighty adventurer of the seas and loyal comrade of the man by your side," Lee told her enthusiastically. "He was captured by the dastardly Orochimaru more than half a year ago, during one of the most violent displays of youth ever seen on the seven seas! You have no need to fear my wrath, scion of the Uchiha." He turned to a silently brooding Sasuke. "Gai has already told me of your tragic plight and the heroic efforts of your pirate comrades. Truly, a pirate's life is one of daring adventures and undying youth!" He directed a dazzling, encouraging grin in Sasuke's general direction, momentarily blinding both said angsting scion and Sakura, before his face crumpled into a slightly confused expression. "But first, Miss Sakura – what ill wind has blown you and Sasuke down to these lowly depths?"

"Er...well..." Sakura stammered, still a little too distracted by Gai's eyebrows (surely they couldn't really be _twice_ as thick as _Lee's?) _to answer properly. "Oh, um...well, you see, Captain Neji has officially joined forces with the pirate Captain Tenten. Unfortunately while we were trying to keep Orochimaru from finding Leaf Island - their territory - we were attacked by their ship and...and then..." she trailed off hesitantly. _And then I failed them. _

"Then she and I were taken hostage," Sasuke spoke up matter of factly. "Gai, what did Orochimaru want from you?"

"I'm not quite sure," Gai frowned, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. "Truth be told, there were times when I thought that my fire was about to be extinguished forever – but apparently he wanted me alive. My guess is that he planned on using me as bait to lure Tenten, in case she rescued you from the Hyuuga's ship before he could interfere."

Sasuke snorted. "Kakashi didn't even know you had been taken onboard. He spent days circling the area where he thought you had fallen overboard during the fight before going back to Leaf to tell us about what happened. We all thought you had drowned." The look in his eyes softened. "Tenten was upset."

Gai sighed. "My poor little girl! I hope you've been taking good care of her, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stiffened and actually looked a little embarassed. "We are not...together...anymore, Gai," he said awkwardly. He seemed to expect Gai to blow up, judging by the wary glance he shot the bushy eyebrowed man. Instead, one of said eyebrows merely shot up.

"Really?" Gai asked kindly. "... ...Well, it was a youthful romance while it lasted, eh? Don't look so glum, Sasuke! You'll fall once more into the wonderful river of love soon enough! For now, I'm just worried about Tenten."

Sasuke nodded slowly.

Seeing her confused expression, Gai took it on himself to explain the situation to Sakura. "You see, m'lady, I am second in command of Kakashi's crew, but that is not what Orochimaru needed me for if my guesswork is correct. No - instead, he wanted to take advantage of the beautiful, warm feelings between my adopted daughter Tenten and I, to lure her into his grasp! Tenten would have come immediately to my rescue if she had known of my capture!"

Sakura frowned. "I thought that Tenten had been adopted by Genma and Shizune," she said, recalling what Ino had told her of the pirates they had met on Leaf Island.

Gai shook his head. "But I was the one who _really _brought her up. _I _was the one who trained her natural talent with weaponry into a deadly art, who taught her the way of life that has been passed on by generations and generations of pirates! Tenten and I are thick as thieves – poor girl – how she must suffer without my presence!"

"Never fear! I am sure that you will meet again, someday, somehow!" Lee exclaimed, seemingly moved to tears by Gai's words. The older man smiled determinedly and nodded.

"Lee," he choked out, voice full of manly feelings.

"Gai!" Lee returned passionately, the two exchanging extremely emotionally charged looks.

"Lee!"

"Gai!"

Sakura gaped at the accompanying waterworks and the sunset that had momentarily appeared behind the two bawling men. Sasuke merely scowled, looking away in disgust. "Feh."

Half an hour later Gai and Lee had calmed down enough to allow Sakura to check them over for injuries. Tearing a small strip from her shirt, she daubed clean various shallow cuts using water from a cracked pitcher before tying the makeshift bandage securely around a painful blister on Lee's arm.

"Sasuke?" She turned to the silent Uchiha when she had finished. "Would you like to me to check you for-"

"No."

"But –"

"I'm fine."

Sakura sighed. Gai merely patted her on the shoulder, leaning down to whisper loudly into her ear. "Take heart, young flower. It seems his youthful fire is burning low at the moment, but it shall revive again once Lee and I show him the escape route we are preparing!"

"Escape route?" Sakura glanced towards the guard on the other side of the gates. Thankfully he seemed to be dozing, with his head tilted back in an awkward position and his mouth gaping wide open. "What escape route?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Lee beamed at her and held up a crooked spoon. "We have been slowly but surely scraping away the wooden paneling that separates this cell from the corridor with these trusty metal implements! There is now a magnificent scratch near the back of the cell – we work, of course, as far away from the guards as possible - and soon we will poke through, and – "

"And end up in the basement of a ship inhabited by God knows how many enemy pirates," Sasuke interrupted rudely. "Not to mention the fact that by the time you manage to carve a good sized hole in the wood we will be older by at least another decade."

"Older and wiser!" Gai flashed another thumbs up at them. Sakura swore she heard a quiet whimper come from Sasuke's direction before he shifted away to lean stiffly against the wall by the gate, back turned to his companions. After a moment of silence Gai whipped out a rusty fork and followed Lee back into the darkness, whereupon a dull scratching noise was heard. Sakura sighed again, crawling over to sit cross legged next to the Uchiha.

"Sasuke," she whispered, tapping him on the shoulder.

He grunted. "What?"

A short pause as Sakura grasped for the right words. "This might seem like a strange question...but...why did you save me again?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

She shook her head. "No – I mean, if you had not kept Orochimaru from killing me...you could have escaped back onto the _Kyuubi._"

To her surprise a small pout curved across Sasuke's face. "I know."

"So –"

The pout deepened. Sakura was alarmed to find that she could not tear her eyes away from the sight of his profile, illuminated as it was by the flickering candlelight that strayed into the cell. He looked for all the world like a spoiled brat with his lower lip stuck out stubbornly and his eyebrows dipped low – but an extremely good looking brat, nonetheless.

"Feh. Do I have to be interrogated for saving you?" he muttered, turning away with a huff.

Sakura stared at him, the corner of her lips twitching up. Awww. It seemed to her that Uchiha Sasuke was, really, a Nice Fellow. She wasn't sure whether to believe what Ino had told her about his apparent innocence, how he had been framed by his brother and how Orochimaru now wanted him for the Map of Uchiha – but that didn't matter. He had compromised his own safety to ensure hers – for her, a veritable stranger, bound to him only through Tenten and Neji's recent agreement of cooperation.

"Thank you," she murmured softly, not really surprised when he didn't answer. She stared out between the bars glumly; suddenly her own failure onboard the _Kyuubi _seemed that much more despicable. Throughout her life she had been a pampered lady-in-waiting, brought up to serve the Hyuuga in relative luxury. While she knew she was not a coward by nature, she had simply failed to adapt to the new, harsher situation – to fight bravely, to protect her friends – terrified, by the reality of battle.

She clenched her fists unconsciously, fingers curling into her lap. She had to change. If she wanted to get the four of them out of Orochimaru's grasp, she would have to learn to stand up for herself and –

"I have a plan." Sasuke suddenly spoke up. Sakura started.

"Does it involve spoons?" she asked warily. Sasuke only scowled darkly and she had to fight down the urge to giggle. Uchiha Sasuke was a rather _adorable _Nice Fellow.

Then she saw the dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"I'm going to burn down the ship," he informed her in a self satisfied tone, taking out a few wooden splints from a side pocket in his breeches.

Alright. So he was an adorable, slightly psychotic Nice Fellow with pyromaniac tendencies –

"But Sasuke," she said in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "...We're _on _the ship. I have a feeling that might pose a small problem."

"Feh. Of course I know that. I'm not going to burn this thing down before we get _off." _He shifted himself to face her properly, leaning down with a smirk. "I'll take Orochimaru to where he wants to go."

She blinked, startled. "What? You're going to take him to the map?"

"It's the closest source of land."

"But I thought – aren't you worried that he'll –"

"He won't find the map," he told her, a trace of arrogance in his voice. "I'll take him to the island where I hid it. Once on land..." He rubbed the splints lightly together, the dangerous smirk widening on his face. "...The ship will burn."

"And we'll be stranded on an island with Orochimaru's crew."

"I know the island much better than Orochimaru does," he reassured her. Sakura didn't feel very reassured. "Trust me...he won't survive there for long."

"And us?" she asked skeptically. "How are we going to get away?"

"Tenten will come for us," he told her confidently. "She knows where the island is."

"I see," Sakura said doubtfully, twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers. Sasuke stared down at her for a long beat and she froze, momentarily forgetting where she was, inexplicably finding herself lost in that cold, obsidian gaze...

"Go tell the two idiots," he instructed her finally, turning away again. After the (rather disturbing) outburst, he seemed to have reverted immediately back to his hermit status, closing himself up like a fist. Sakura watched his back for a while, letting her eyes trace over the worn, faded fan insignia stitched onto his shirt. The she sighed.

"Alright."

* * *

In the constant half darkness, Sakura had lost track of time. Crawling on her hands and knees – the ceiling was too low to stand properly – she had explored the inner recesses of the cell, surprised to find it much more spacious than she had thought. Despite her earlier fears, she slowly grew accustomed to the darkness, running a hand down the grubby, cobwebbed walls as she listened to the low creaking of the _Akatsuki_. At the far end of the cell the wood was cold and slightly damp; when she pressed her ear to the paneling she could hear the deep rumble of the sea, gentle and slow like a sleepy lullaby. Banging and muffled footsteps far above told her that the crew was busy repairing the ship. She wondered where they where heading, how quickly the distance was stretching between them and the _Kyuubi._

The plan was simple enough, even after Gai and Lee had had their say in the matter. They knew that Orochimaru would be suspicious if Sasuke immediately agreed to take him to the map, would be overly cautious, on guard. He needed to convince Orochimaru that he felt he had no choice but to obey – which was where Sakura came in, much to her initial displeasure.

"After all," she had explained sulkily. "I may not be very brave, but I'm not silly enough to –"

"Sakura." A glare from Sasuke. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine," she had muttered. _Men. _

Orochimaru came clanking down the stairs after what seemed like an eternity, swaggering to the gate with a sly smile on his chalk white face. The guard immediately sputtered awake, standing straight and saluting his Captain reverentially. The pirate captain looked a little worn out, tired lines etched into his forehead, but the expression he wore was one of triumph. "Sssasuke...how do you like my dungeons, hmmmm? Are they fitting to your tastes?"

_Here we go._

Sakura immediately crawled back to the gate when she heard his raspy voice come slithering through the dark. "Orochimaru!" she squeaked, diving behind a sullen looking Sasuke.

"Orochimaru, you villain!" Lee was shaking a fist righteously at the bemused pirate, backed up by a thunderous Gai. "I swear by my youthful fire that I will punish you most direly after I am free, foul wretch of a man!"

"Sir Lee, you must not endanger yourself so!" Sakura paled spectacularly, clutching tightly at the Uchiha's shirt. "Your words are brave and truly worthy of a manly man such as yourself, but –"

"Silence," Orochimaru ordered, clicking his fingers. Refracted light from the many jewels on his fingers spun wildly across the ceiling. "Sasuke...you know why I have taken you, don't you?"

"Hn." Sasuke glared at the man. "Indeed, I do." Silently he cursed Gai for making up these ridiculous lines.

Orochimaru looked satisfied. "Well? Will you cooperate with me and show me the way to your treasure map? Or should I simply ssssell you back to your brother?" he asked, spitting out each word venomously.

"I care not whether I live or die. You will never find the map while I am still breathing," Sasuke declared monotonously.

Orochimaru frowned and crouched down so that his gaze was level with Sasuke's stony expression. Bony white fingers hung onto the metal framework of the gate, curling around iron bars; Sakura shivered for real when she saw the oily yellow of his eyes. "And what of your friends?" he demanded silkily, cocking his head to the side. "Will you be willing to see them walk the plank? Be eaten alive by the ssssharks that infest these waters?"

Sasuke stiffened; Sakura emitted a shrill wail before sobbing into his shoulders. "Sasuke! Do as he says, for our sakes! Please, spare us the terrible death he is condemning us to!"

"F-fair maiden," Sasuke began woodenly. "I cannot show him the map, for it is a treasure passed down to me from my father, the most precious possession of my clan."

"We fear not death, Sasuke!" Gai proclaimed, smacking his chest manfully. "Do not betray your loyalty to your family!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura flung an arm over her eyes dramatically. "Sasuke, what of our love? Will you watch as the woman you care for falls prey to the man-eating beasts of the waters?" She was getting good at this, Sakura mused to herself.

"Yessssss," Orochimaru immediately latched onto the excuse. "Not only that, but will you watch as your woman is defiled by my men? I assure you, Zaku here – " he beckoned the lewdly grinning guard over. "-Will be more than happy to...play...with the pink haired wench."

"Orochimaru!" Gai roared, genuinely angry. "How dare you!"

"It seems there is no choice, Sasuke!" Lee cried passionately.

"Sasuke," Sakura whimpered pitifully. "Sasuke dearest..."

"I will give you the map!" Sasuke hissed. (He was getting good at this too, Sakura noticed.) "As long as you promise me the safety of my companions."

Sakura poked him discreetly and he coughed. "And an oil lamp. It's a little dark in here."

"Done," Orochimaru nodded, standing up, the triumphant leer back on his face. "My men will fetch you one later. For now, tell me." He stared hungrily down at Sasuke. "Where is the map?"

Sasuke paused, hesitating a little before speaking. "The map is –"

* * *

"-There?" Kabuto rubbed the bridge of his nose, squinting into the shadows of the Captain's spacious quarters. "Well. I'd never have guessed it."

Orochimaru licked his lips, finishing the brief message he was writing with a flourish of the wrist. His signature was enormous and ridiculously fancy, taking up half the piece of parchment. He folded it up, slipped it into an envelope and sealed with hot wax, stamping it with a properly evil looking skull. Kabuto handed him the pigeon wordlessly as he stalked across the room; he tied the message to its leg before throwing open the window, flinging the poor thing out into the air. A surprised 'coo', a terrified beating of snowy white wings and it was off, careening up into the sky.

Orochimaru plunged his hands into the bowl of clean water on the low shelf by his side; the ink staining his skin was sloughed off into the water, suspended in murky swirls. "Itachi should be there by the time we find the map."

His first mate nodded. "What of the other three?"

"I'll see if I can sssell them to him along with his brother. If not... ..." he shrugged, sinking into a large armchair. "The wench will be a nice present for the crew. The other two... ...can feed the ssssharks." He chuckled humourlessly to himself, dark hair spilling over his shoulder into wide collar of his coat.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, smiling. "Aye."


	13. Dirty Little Secrets

**Chapter 13: Dirty Little Secrets **

It was a warm afternoon but the sun barely seeped into the dusty corridors of the _Kyuubi_, the cracked glass of rounded windows grimed and dirty and filtering what little light that came through a filthy brown. The ceiling and walls were ribbed at regular intervals with horizontal wooden reinforcements, casting a striped pattern of shadows upon the floor and the man making his way towards the cabin at the far end of the main gallery.

Neji strode quickly through the dim, sepia-tinted walkways, pausing only to allow himself a somewhat longing glance up at the small square of shimmering blue sky visible through an open hatch. With only a total of five people onboard, all excessive duties had been ignored for more pressing jobs – repairing the damage inflicted upon the ship by Orochimaru and his men, charting their journey towards Konoha, making the necessary preparations for their planned infiltration of the Uchiha compound. It had been two days since Tenten left half of her crew with the Sand siblings and set off for Konoha with the _Kyuubi; _said crew was now still busily preoccupied with their duties, each trying to ignore the unease that gnawed at their minds whenever their thoughts strayed to Sasuke and Sakura, to their comrades on the _Shukaku. _

The small piece of parchment in his hand was an inventory of the supplies they had, the Hyuuga having spent his entire morning inspecting and listing whatever he could find in the pantry and weapons stock. The results were not particularly comforting and he had grimly decided that Tenten needed to be informed of the problem immediately.

Now Neji stepped closer towards the hatch, watching the cottony white of the clouds billow softly by. A lone seabird swept across his line of vision, the tiny silhouette arcing luxuriously through the sky. He swallowed, a familiar, almost painfulacherinsing through his body, a burning at the back of his throat. _Freedom._ He felt something loosening a little bit more inside of him, something that had already begun to open up like an unclenching fist the moment he had leaped off his ship to join the pirate crew. The Hyuuga and their vicious hold on his life, their manipulation of forced familial loyalties that had killed Hizashi and had threatened to crush him, his son...he had believed that he was fated to be caged in their grasp forever, had taken almost a perverse pride in remaining steadfastly loyal to the very people who stung him because it was _fate _and it was the way Father had lived. Live for the good of the public and die for the clan, he had been taught, and he had lapped it up like a wounded pup. So long as the Hyuuga maintained public order and remained powerful and respected to the rest of Konohan empire, Neji was unconsciously resigned to what he saw as his destiny as a tool of the clan.

Until now. He stood underneath the open hatch with the parchment clutched loosely in his hand, watching and waiting until the bird re-emerged, circling higher and higher, borne up by invisible air currents. Neji blinked. The deep blue of the open sky was so beautiful heaven seemed, momentarily, a very real possibility. Heaven... ...

... ...Tenten. Neji started, the namesake of the brunette woman abruptly reminding him that he had yet to deliver the bad news. Tearing his eyes away from the sky, he continued to make his way down the corridor. Tenten's cabin door was closed and he was reaching for the gilded doorknob when -

_"You still miss him, don't you?" _

Neji froze, one hand raised mid air in an aborted knock. He could recognize Ino's voice drifting out, muffled slightly through the thick wood.

_"Who?" _

Tenten, sounding genuinely confused.

_"Him. Sasuke. Who else?" _

_"I'm worried for him-" _

_"I meant apart from this whole stupid fiasco, idiot. Not as Sasuke-the-comrade, but Sasuke-your-ex-lover." _

So that was it: Tenten had been Sasuke's woman. Neji was only surprised that he hadn't guessed earlier.

_"I...don't think of him that way. Not since we decided to end our...our..." _

_"Not even a little?" _Ino's tone was insisting but she sounded more concerned than merely curious.

_"Not at all." _

_"You don't love him anymore." _

A pause. Neji wondered why he was holding his breath. Probably because Tenten was such an unfeminine woman the very idea of her being in love with a man was unsettling; yes, that had to be it.

_"...You know, I don't think I ever really...did." _

_"Oh, Tenten. You don't have to do this to yourself-" _

_"No, really. I mean, I've thought through it so many times already - no, listen, Ino - when we met we were just ridiculously young and lonely, and he knew how I felt because he had lost his family, like me...we both just needed someone who could understand, I guess. And of course, the fact that he's absolutely bloody gorgeous helped a lot." _

Sasuke? He looked almost like a respectable seaman when cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes, Neji would give him that. But good-looking? Pfft.

_"Aye." _Ino was chuckling now. _"So you don't...?" _

_"No." _Her voice was firm. Neji decided he had heard enough and straightened up, rapping the door smartly. It swung open immediately and Ino stared up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Greetings, sailor."

"I need to talk to Tenten," he said gruffly. The blonde coolly looked him up and down before nodding approvingly, flashing a bright grin over her shoulder at a rapidly paling Tenten. (Shino had offered to lend him his entire wardrobe but the _Kyuubi _was not as well ventilated as the vessel he had captained; hence, Neji had opted to work in only breeches, feeling secretly grateful that he was now forever freed from the mandatory starched, ruffled shirts issued by the Konohan Royal Navy.)

"I'll go see if I can dig up some more maps from Shika's room," she told her friend cheerfully, sending a quick smile in Neji's direction before flouncing away.

Neji stepped into the cabin, a little surprised to find Tenten glaring at him from her chair. "...Is there a problem?"

"Why don't you ever have a shirt on?" Tenten snapped at him indignantly, eyes widening immediately when she realized what she had just said.

"Excuse me?" Neji blinked.

"I mean, what do you have for me there?" she hastily corrected herself. Neji looked puzzled for a moment before shrugging, oblivious to the way her eyes hungrily followed the lazy roll of his bare shoulders.

"We're running low on food. We need to get to Konoha as fast as possible before our supplies run out," he told her in a clipped, professional tone, slipping the inventory onto her desk. "I would suggest that we take a more direct route than our current course."

Tenten frowned, turning back to the map rolled out before her. "I don't think that's possible. I've already tried to chart the shortest path to Konoha, but you know as much as I do that we need to take precautions."

"The Navy patrols?"

"Uchiha," she confirmed. "We can't risk crossing the quicker trading routes since most of his ships guard those lines, which means -" She sighed, pointing to the wild, zigzagged black line drawn over the map. "-That reaching Konoha will take some time. Another four days, at least."

"Then we will have to ration the supplies."

Tenten nodded. "Do what you think is necessary." _Poor Chouji, _she thought sympathetically.

"Hn. I will take over the preparation of the meals from Akimichi, then."

"You can cook?" Tenten asked skeptically. "... ...You're just joking, right?"

"Of course I can cook," he informed her, sounding rather injured.

"Oh." She blinked, at a loss for words. "It's just...you've always seemed so..."

"So... ...?" Neji raised an eyebrow and she swallowed, grasping for an adjective which would not offend his delicate sensibilities.

"So...so _manly?_" she ventured, waving her hand expansively.

"Hn." He nodded understandingly.

"And...I just didn't realize that someone like you would be able to do something as...domestic...as cooking."

He shrugged. "When I was younger I never liked what the servants made, so I cooked for myself."

"Ah, I see. Who taught you? Your mother?"

"No. Myself," he said shortly. Then, as if as an explanation for his abruptness: "...I was an orphan."

"Oh." Tenten didn't know quite what to say. _Me too? _An awkward silence descended upon them and suddenly the cabin seemed too small, cramped, airtight.

"Anyhow...what happens when _do_ we get there, then?" Neji shifted uncomfortably, changing the subject as if embarrassed. "I realize being inconspicuous is hardly your expertise, but I sincerely hope you're not planning for us to sail straight into the harbour and demand to be taken to the Uchiha residence."

He stared down at her with a hint of condescension on his face and Tenten took the bait, eager to lighten the conversation. "Nice to know your sarcasm survived the fighting intact, Hyuuga."

"Thank you. My sarcasm is doing well." A small smile ghosted over his lips.

"Hmph." She snorted. "Well, I was about to say – before you so rudely decided to disparage my planning abilities despite the fact that I have spent my _entire life _hiding from the authorities-" She glared at him for good measure. "-That we keep a safe house around _here." _She traced a calloused fingertip across the fading parchment to a marker situated a few miles of coastline off the main harbour. It was tucked neatly inside the curved rim of a shallow bay, surrounded on all sides by thick forests. Small, crabbed handwriting scrawled near the marker pronounced the area as the 'The Academy'.

"The Academy? In shark-infested waters?" His eyes narrowed.

"That's where we keep our young 'uns. The Navy and the rest of Konoha are convinced the area is ridden with sharks and leave us alone most of the time," she explained, grinning wryly. "It's the perfect place to train the newest recruits before they join a crew."

"You people have been running a _pirate training_ school in Konohan waters all this time?" Neji looked as if he was torn between feeling horrified and being reluctantly impressed.

"Aye." Tenten smirked. "Twelve years. It's where we picked up Ino."

"What about the sharks?"

"Well," she began thoughtfully. "First of all, they aren't sharks. They're dolphins."

"The Konohan Navy would not be fool enough to mistake dolphins for sharks."

"Oh, but _these_ dolphins are extremely aggressive and attack all incoming ships that aren't ours." Tenten laughed at his disbelieving expression. "I'm serious! We have a man who trains them. You'd think they were his loyal hounds, the way they obey his every direction. Almost like they were speaking the same language."

"That still doesn't explain how anyone in the Navy could mistake them for sharks."

"Oh, they don't, not really." Tenten shrugged. "But hey - if you were captain of a patrol ship that had been half-destroyed by a band of _dolphins_, would you really publicize that fact to the rest of your peers and risk the humiliation? Or would you spin some heroic tale about how you barely escaped an army of man-eating sharks?"

"...Hn."

Two days of civil interaction meant that Tenten had, by now, realized that 'hn' could mean anything from 'yes' to 'no' to 'you're an unfeminine fool entirely unworthy of my attention', so she merely smiled serenely and let it pass. "Basically, we'll head straight for the safe house – we'd have to swap our flag for a normal one once we near the coast, just in case – but otherwise we should be able to steer clear of the busy areas and arrive there without having to engage in armed conflict."

"Engage in armed conflict," he mimicked her, looking amused. "You almost sound like an naval officer."

"Ouch." She winced in mock horror. "You must be rubbing off on me, Hyuuga."

Neji merely stared down at her, the corners of his lips quirking up in a gentle smile. Tenten was horrified when she found herself suddenly blushing furiously and looked down from his face - only, of course, to encounter the marvelous sight of his bare chest. Her head shot back up, a lovely pink tinting her cheeks as she offered him an awkward grin in return.

Neji was secretly wondering why such an unfeminine woman could look quite so fetching. Then he secretly wondered why he was even _considering_ the idea that she was fetching. Still, there was something about her manner, her way of talking, her grin - genuine, open and sincere, unlike the practiced smiles and the distant politeness of the court ladies back in Konoha. There was something _raw _about her, something bright and unsullied; a little rough around the edges, tanned limbs slightly muscled and lithe, strong. The scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose spoke of years under the sun – something the pampered women of the court would have despised, but nonetheless looked very endearing on her. Tenten was definitely unladylike but, to his surprise and vague unease, rather...attractive.

The instant the thought crossed his mind he immediately began to worry that he must have become a little deranged from spending too much time shirtless under the sun. The heat and stress was getting to him, no doubt. This urge to brush the stray strands from her forehead and run his fingers through her hair was merely a result of...of... ...

A minute later they both realized that they had been smiling idiotically at each other for a little longer than necessary. Much coughing ensued; Neji straightened (he had been unconsciously leaning closer to Tenten) and she drummed her fingers on the desk nervously.

"Say, Neji – I was thinking," she hurried to speak. "I was thinking that if...if we really were caught by the Navy or the Konohan guard, then we'll pretend that you were our captive, alright? They've got me and the rest of the crew in their black list already so there's nothing we can do for _ourselves_, but if we can convince them that we had been holding you hostage – we could say we bought you off Orochimaru, anything - you'll probably be able to get away hands clean."

"And go back to the Hyuuga?" Neji was horrified by the idea. Return to those who had used him his entire life and wrecked countless others? Would a bird, once set free, return willingly to its cage?

She shrugged. "Why not? They were only after Hinata's life, not yours. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But –"

"We will take care of Hinata," she assured him. "She'll make a very good pirate once we show her the ropes, I'm sure. Hell, we can even drop Hanabi off somehow. She has a clan to lead, doesn't she?"

"_We? _You'd be imprisoned and awaiting execution if this situation actually occurred."

"The others will take care of her, then. Besides," she scoffed. "I've been caught by those scurvy dogs before. We've practically perfected our escape routes."

"I will not go back to the Hyuuga."

"That is your own choice. What I'm saying is, Neji," she explained patiently, "If they think that you had no part in our infiltration attempts, then – if we are caught, which I highly doubt, anyway – they will spare you. They have no reason not to. Afterwards you'd have the freedom to run away, to go wherever you want. In fact, now that I think about it," she mused. "We can probably take Kiba and Sakura back to Konoha after all this is over as well. And if we aren't caught, you can always leave after the rescue anyway – naturally you'd want to help save Sakura first, I'm sure, but - it's really only Hinata's who's in danger from the Hyuuga... ..." She trailed off, her voice faltering.

To tell the truth, she didn't want Neji to go, having found in him an unexpectedly useful crew member and an even more unexpectedly interesting companion; however, she felt that he at least deserved the chance to go back to his old life, to regain what he had lost. The life of a pirate was not easy and she was sure he'd much rather return to 'civilization' than stay with what he deemed to be 'barbarians'. Privately she mourned the loss of waking up in the morning to the delicious sight of a shirtless Hyuuga marching about.

"So, what do you think?" she asked him, forcing herself to sound cheerful.

"I think," Neji began in a very dignified tone, "That I will be a coward to abandon my crew."

She blinked.

"I can't speak for Inuzuka or Miss Sakura, but I could never leave Miss Hinata to a life at sea by herself," he continued. "And for some strange, unforeseeable reason, I have – inexplicably – er – "

Tenten blinked again because she swore she saw Neji paw at the ground with his foot.

"- ahem. I have found that, well, I don't entirely mind living amongst pirates, even if I occasionally find your practices rather barbaric and even if –" He coughed. "Look, I am willing to work for my position in your crew. I will even swab the decks daily if – if that is what you want."

To his mortification Tenten burst out laughing. "You want to stay, for real?"

"Well – I suppose you could say that – yes –"

"The righteous and respectable Hyuuga Neji has voluntarily _asked _to be allowed to stay a _pirate,"_ she said teasingly. "Why, Neji, what are you going to tell me next? That you're secretly serving the Devil?"

_Depends who you mean by the Devil, _he thought grumpily, eyeing the chuckling woman before him. "Yes, well. I think I will go check if Aburame needs help poisoning the weapon supply."

He turned to leave, feeling abashed and humiliated, having used up his quota of 'almost begging' and 'vulnerable' moments for the year in less than an hour. A hand on his elbow stopped him and he paused, peering down to see that Tenten had stood up, a (very nice, he had to admit) smile lighting up her features.

"Thank you," she said simply. "I'd love for you to stay."

Neji swallowed and nodded. "Hn."

Then he opened the door and marched out (fled) a little too quickly, eager to regain his composure and forget the feel of her fingers on his skin. Tenten gazed after him, watching him turn the corner sharply, back straight as a rod, before closing the door with a soft_ click. _

The chair creaked loudly when she settled back down upon it with a soft sigh, propping her feet on the desk. She leaned back, staring at the dusty cobwebs on the ceiling with a blank expression.

_An orphan, huh. _

That was unexpected. Something twisted inside her, a wrenching feeling in the gut. This new revelation and the fact that she undeniably liked his company were disrupting her plans, were confusing her. She remembered the reasons she had originally given him for her offer to receive him into the crew:

_"Extra hands on deck? The chance to see one of the proud, idiotic Hyuuga in servitude?" _

That was the practical reason and the one she knew Neji had come to accept.

_"Look, I just felt sorry for him. Fool that he is, he really had no idea that the __Hyuugan Court__ had betrayed him, can you imagine that? Besides, he may be a useful addition to the crew. You saw the way he fought. He's good." _

Shikamaru hadn't bought it, but it was true. She had been impressed immediately the moment they began fighting back on his ship, had known that his skills could be invaluable to the crew.

_"The Hyuuga. You think he's good looking." _

Well, she couldn't deny _that _one. But there had been something else, one burning, underlying reason why she had been so eager to have Neji join her crew. She would never tell even Ino or Shikamaru this, but she had already begun to consider the possibility of rescuing the two Hyuuga, and not just Sasuke, from Orochimaru even before their attack on the _Konoha Maiden. _She had played with the idea, feeling guilty for wanting something that would no doubt burden her comrades – but once the idea had come to her she had not been able to let it go, and when the opportunity came up she had grasped it tightly.

Tenten shut her eyes, untying her ribbons and shaking her hair loose wearily. She had wanted the Hyuuga with her, because...because... ...

_It doesn't matter now, _she told herself firmly. He...was different from what she had expected, and that changed everything. She could let go of the past this once, for him – for herself – because really, they both deserved to face a future without being shackled to ghosts.

_Hyuuga Neji, _she thought. _Don't let me down. _


	14. The Graveyard

**Chapter 14: The Graveyard.**

Sai knocked on the mahogany paneling of the Captain's sturdy cabin door, a silver tea set balanced precariously on his other hand. "Sir? Sir, I've brought you breakfast."

A pause, and then a low voice, muffled by the distance: "Come in."

He pushed the door open quietly to reveal a large, richly furnished bedroom. Soft rugs were spread across the floor, muting his footsteps as he padded towards the window; tapestries and gold plated plaques decorated the walls. Morning light filtered in, lending the thin cotton curtains an ethereal glow as they fluttered in the salty breeze. His Captain was leaning against the glass, intently studying a scrap of parchment with a slight frown.

Six in the morning and the man was already cleanly shaven, long black hair tied back in a low ponytail. He was dressed in the formal uniform of the Royal Navy but the long sleeves of his stiff white shirt were rolled back to the elbows, his dark red jacket slung over the back of a chair. Uchiha Itachi was renowned for his self-discipline, the tight control he held over every aspect of his life. Meticulous and efficient, he was a brilliant fighter and commander, having slipped up through the military ranks with ease. That, plus his mysterious demeanour and tragic history served to make him effectively irresistible to the ladies.

"Another letter from Konoha, sir?" Sai murmured, setting down the tray on a nearby desk.

"No," Itachi sighed, slipping the note into a shirt pocket. "Orochimaru."

Sai blinked, his large, dark eyes following the older man as he stalked forwards and broke a few crumbs off a slab of bread. He knew from years of companionship that the older man would tell him more when he wished, that no amount of questioning could wrench an answer from nor sit well with a reluctant Itachi - and so he merely stepped away, face a blank slate, and waited.

A few minutes later Itachi set down a pitcher of water and turned to him, his obsidian gaze sweeping over Sai's sharp features. Sai was not surprised when an odd expression flickered across his face; he had seen that half-wince, that pained look several times before. He had not been deaf to the rumours circulated amongst the lower ranks that Itachi kept him by his side, the quiet, loyal servant he had picked off the streets, for his resemblance to Uchiha Sasuke, the younger brother who had massacred the entire clan years ago. He himself had never laid eyes upon said sibling but had heard that he was apparently the spitting image of the Uchiha scion. Certainly, he knew that he could easily pass as a close relative of Itachi's, what with their mournful dark eyes and spiky black hair, the angular set of their features.

Sai didn't understand Itachi's motive for keeping him by his side, nor did he care. He had to admit that it was strange that Itachi would want to be constantly reminded of the brother who had destroyed his entire family - but the man had lifted him from a lifetime of extreme poverty and he owed him everything.

"Tell Kisame to change our course."

Sai snapped to attention when Itachi's smooth baritone broke the silence. "Sir?"

"Orochimaru is a madman," the Captain murmured. "He has admitted to being the one who plundered the Hyuuga's ship."

Two days ago a patrol had come across the burning wreck of what used to be the _Konoha Maiden, _slowly disintegrating into the sea as it drifted eastwards. No survivors had been found onboard; Lady Hinata, her cousin and the Uchiha prisoner all missing from the scattered corpses, presumed dead.

"He is holding the Hyuuga hostage?" Sai guessed, gesturing to the corner of the parchment sticking out from his pocket. Itachi snorted.

"No. Most likely he knows that the Hyuuga have been trying to get rid of their incompetent heir and would not pay a dime for her return," he told Sai matter-of-factly. "He has something far more valuable to me."

"Sasuke." Sai felt his heart sinking. He couldn't help but hate the man, not because of what he had done to Itachi but because Itachi still obviously cared for the bastard.

Sai's older brother had died of the flu when he was seven, their parents too poor to buy the needed medication. Growing up alone with the memory of brotherhood but not the actual bonds that had made his deprived childhood more humane, he had lost himself to the grueling daily routine of absolute poverty, too busy trying to find money to mingle with others his age. Now, more than ten years later, Sai was finally beginning to find a sort of older brother in Itachi, was beginning to re-build the fraternal bonds that had been severed so brutally – and yet, _and yet,_ Itachi was still preoccupied with that traitor Uchiha Sasuke.

"My brother," Itachi confirmed coolly. "Orochimaru wants gold in return for Sasuke."

"Perhaps it is better this way," Sai suggested woodenly, unwilling to see the bitterness that darkened Itachi's eyes whenever Sasuke was mentioned. "Better that Sasuke should be retrieved and executed according to the law than let him be killed by a mere pirate."

"Sai – "

"Plus," he hastened to add. "This way, at least you can get the map back. The Uchiha treasure won't stay lost for long."'

"It _must _stay hidden," Itachi suddenly snapped. "The Uchiha treasure is not merely pieces of gold, Sai. Sasuke had no idea what exactly he was dealing with when he took the map. When we captured him again I had hoped that he had hidden it securely, somewhere even I wouldn't know of – so that when he is executed the secret would die with him. His escape from punishment by law is the least of my worries. Orochimaru _must not _get the map!"

Sai blinked, taken aback by Itachi's uncharacteristically violent outburst. "I'm sure Sasuke has already attempted to buy his freedom with it," he suggested bitterly. "Coward that he is."

A pause.

Then Itachi sighed, running a hand through his hair almost forlornly. "My brother is no coward."

Sai bristled. "He betrayed the Uchiha. He betrayed _you." _

"Many people have."

He gritted his teeth. "_I'd_ never betray you."

Silence. Sai bit his lip, wondering if he had crossed the line.

"Sir, I apologize," he began stiffly, unable to stand the way Itachi was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "I didn't mean to say-"

He broke off abruptly, surprised to see Itachi slowly lifting a hand up towards him. Eyes widened when he was lightly poked on the forehead.

"...S-sir?"

The older man watched him for a long moment. Then:"Find Kisame and tell him we're heading North by North-East. We should get there by nightfall."

"Sir – I –"

"You may leave now." Itachi turned away.

Sai bowed his head. "Yes, Captain."

* * *

"I thought," Sakura mumbled, staring glumly out the window, "That you said you had buried the map on an _island." _

Sasuke snorted. "And?"

They had been moved out from the cells after he revealed the location of the map to Orochimaru. Currently the four prisoners were given free rein of one of the viewing cabins onboard the _Akatsuki_, a thin, rectangular room comfortably furnished with a few dusty armchairs and a long dining table. Three guards were posted at the doorway; Sasuke recognized the woman he had knocked unconscious during the fight, her arm bandaged heavily where it had been crushed by her fall.

"Sasuke, this is most emphatically _not _an island!" Sakura hissed indignantly. "It's a graveyard!"

He shrugged, rolling his eyes at her from his armchair. "Feh."

But even the two most boisterous members of their group, Gai and Lee, were huddled together, staring quietly out at the scene before them.

The _Akatsuki _had sailed in a wide arc, drifting along the edge of the thick barrier of mist for the entire afternoon, until they reached a point where the mist seemed densest. There Sasuke had directed them to spear headfirst into the murky waters, after which Kabuto had taken over, knowing exactly where they were heading after Sasuke's tip.

In the rosy glow of the early evening the mist was tinted a pretty mix of pink and orange. Stray shafts of light that managed to pierce through caressed the hollow shells of a few dozen decaying ships of varying sizes, glancing off the enormous hull of an upturned warship to linger between the tattered sails of a small fishing boat. Sakura shivered as they sailed past the hulking skeletons of rotting, moss covered wood and the remnants of their former passengers – a tattered shirt pinned against a broken plank that jutted out from the water, a polished boot sticking out from under a gleaming pile of shattered glass.

The mystery of the mist was solved. She now realized that Shikamaru must have been lying when he said no one really knew why the weather was so strange around Leaf Island – he had been hiding a secret from the newcomers, hadn't trusted them enough to tell them everything about the hiding place of the Leaf pirates.

She pressed her hand against the glass. "What _is _this?"

Leaf Island was the tip of a dormant volcano, a rocky outcrop jutting out from the sea. A line of underwater geysers ringed the island in an enormous circle, boiling the surrounding ocean. A few protruded from the surface, creating small areas of glistening black spirals like massive, overgrown masses of rotting coral, spouting hot water and steam into the air. What they were seeing was one of the largest of such protrusions, a tangle of black rock that stabbed out from under the suface.

Sakura remembered Shikamaru's warning: _Only we know how to navigate through the mist to the island; all other foreign ships that have managed to come through the area become lost. The lucky ones find their way out, the unluckier ones stay stranded._

The stranded ships had drifted in the mist before snagging onto the deadly, boiling outcrop, running aground or hooked between the narrow crevices one by one until a continuous line of broken ships had formed, tangled and crushed against each other. Even now the _Akatsuki_ was sailing along at an excruciatingly slow pace, Kabuto, who was at the helm, knowing very well the danger they were in.

Sakura found Sasuke's reflection in the glass. The Uchiha was still lounging in his armchair, looking bored.

_He...had hidden his map _here?

Suddenly the ship shuddered, a grinding jolt shaking the entire structure. Sakura stumbled backwards a little, her breath hitching in her throat – had they run aground? Were they, too, now part of the dead and dying in this ocean graveyard? Had they –

A hand on her arm; she glanced up to see Lee smiling kindly at her. "Are you alright, Miss Sakura?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you," she muttered quickly, embarrassed. Inwardly she cursed herself for her cowardly behaviour. _Once is enough, _she scolded herself. _You've already let down Lady Hinata and Hanabi – now is _not_ the time to be afraid, not now, no no - _

"Don't be afraid, m'lady!" Gai flashed a thumbs up at her. "We are always here to protect the fragile blooms that flower in adversity!"

"Er..." Sakura didn't know quite what to say. "Thank you?" Well intentioned as he was, Gai simply didn't make her any surer of herself. She didn't know if she could survive this, trapped in a ship with a group of pirates – after all, she was only a court lady, brought up to be gentle and quiet and -

"Feh. I'd hardly call her the _fragile_ type," Sasuke suddenly spoke up, turning his head to stare at Sakura with a smirk. "Look what she did to me earlier."

He raised his foot to show a very ugly bruise that created an interesting black and blue and purple pattern against the pale skin of his ankle.

"Miss Sakura did _that?" _Lee asked, sounding awed.

"I did?" Sakura blinked.

"Back on your ship," he reminded her.

"Oh." Sakura blinked again, and then remembered that she had repeatedly stomped on him in a vain attempt to free herself from his grasp. "..._Oh. _Yes. I'm sorry about that."

"You are truly very deadly with your foot, Miss Sakura!" Gai winked at her encouragingly.

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" she smiled, feeling a little better about herself. Sasuke was looking amused but there was something about his expression, a kindness in his eyes – Sakura realized, with a jolt, that he had been trying to make her feel more confident. She smiled wider at him. "I guess I'm just too much for you, Sasuke," she teased.

"Feh. Too heavy, more like."

Silence. Then there was a flurry of activity and much hoarse shouting as both Lee and Gai attempted to pull a raging Sakura back from a (very amused) Sasuke, who remained sprawled lazily across his armchair like a bored prince.

"You - _how dare you_ – too heavy? Too heavy? Let me at him!" Sakura cried, furiously trying to throw their arms off her. "Let me teach this horrible man a lesson!" She towered over him for a moment with all the terrible anger of a woman wronged, before grabbing his shoulders with an iron grip. "Oh, you –"

"Ahem."

All heads turned to see Orochimaru at the doorway, twirling his ridiculously fancy hat in his hands. "Good evening, ladiesssssss and gentlemen."

The four remained frozen. Then Sakura coughed, softening her grip on Sasuke's shoulders and leaning down until her hair covered her face.

"Oh, Sasuke," she mewed pitifully (albeit a little awkwardly). "Promise me you will protect me from the scary looking pirates!"

Sasuke was mortified to find himself blushing when she curled into the armchair, pressing herself against his side. He put an arm around her tentatively, glancing around to see Orochimaru's expectant face. "Why yes, maiden, I will – er - do my utmost to preserve your – your –"

"Innocence! Your lovely, feminine innocence!" Gai finished for him, who, along with Lee, had already managed to twist themselves into some heroic pose.

The guards on either side of Orochimaru looked like they were going to say something, to point out their obvious inconsistencies in behaviour – but thankfully Orochimaru was far too busy feeling gleeful at his evilness and apparent ability to frighten young ladies to notice.

"Well, Sssssasuke, we have reached our destination," he announced triumphantly. "It is time to find the map!"

"Aye." Sasuke gingerly pushed Sakura off him, wincing when she pinched him viciously in secret. He picked up the oil lamp they had been given, slipping a hand into his breech pockets to finger the splints that he still carried. "Well then, let's go."

Orochimaru bowed with a mocking flourish as he passed, an oily smile on his face. When Sakura, Lee and Gai attempted to follow him, though, the guards immediately blocked their way, drawing out their daggers to stop them from leaving the room. Sasuke turned around angrily.

"They're coming with me."

"Later," Orochimaru told him. "They are unimportant. They will follow behind us."

Sasuke looked past the guards to see Sakura giving him a small smile. "Go first, Sasuke. We'll come after you."

"Yosh! Never fear! We shall take care of our precious blossom while you are ahead!" Lee grinned.

"... ...Feh." Sasuke grunted before reluctantly following Orochimaru away.

The air was moist and wet when they emerged onto the deck. The massive shadows that were the rotting ships swayed slowly, emitting eerie creaking noises as they moved. Kabuto was waiting for them; the walkway had already been lowered, stretching down to rest against the large, tilted deck of a cargo ship. Ropes stretched taut between the banisters and various anchors below served to secure the _Akatsuki _to the other ship.

Sasuke stalked rigidly across the deck. He stopped by the walkway as if to survey their surroundings, in reality picking out a length of rope that ran between the posts right by the walkway and the front mast of the cargo ship. Well aware that he was being watched, he turned away from Orochimaru and the crew assembled on deck and leaned against the banister, discreetly pinching out the flame burning in the lamp.

"Sssasuke," Orochimaru called to him, following the Uchiha at a leisurely pace. "Are you ready?"

"Aye." Sasuke straightened and turned around, at the same time upturning the oil lamp with a deft flick of his wrist behind his back. The oil dribbled out and onto the post, drenching slowly down into the rope. "Very."

* * *

Back in the viewing cabin, Sakura was staring into the condescending smirk of one Tsuchi Kin.

Gai and Lee had been dragged away by two of the guards minutes after Sasuke's departure with Orochimaru, growling indignantly about their need to protect their delicate bloom. She had heard their protestations even as they were forced up the stairs by knifepoint. The moment she had tried to run after them, however, the other woman in the room had grabbed her roughly and pushed her back, sending her stumbling into the table.

"Why am I forced to stay here?" she demanded, trying to sound as brave as possible. "Your captain said that I am to follow Sasuke up to the deck. Let me pass!"

"In your dreams, you little whore,' Kin told her contemptibly. "You're not going anywhere."

"Why not?" Her hands fisted by her side.

"Captain Orochimaru has decided that you'd make a pretty little present for his men," Kin said spitefully. "As soon as he's got the map, every male in our crew are going to pay you a nice visit. I almost feel sorry for your little lover-boy there." She rubbed her injured arm angrily, obviously still irate at having been beaten by the Uchiha. "Almost. But not quite."

Sakura paled. "Never," she whispered. "Never."

"That's not up to you, I'm afraid," the other woman sniffed. "Look at you, trembling like the weak little thing you are. I bet you're sorry for leaving Konoha now, aren't you? I bet you've never had to do a single hard thing in your life, you with your court manners and your pretty hands. Look at mine!" She thrust her hands forwards, showing Sakura the coarse skin, the scars the disfigured her wrist. "_These _are what real working hands look like, you useless bitch! And your hair - so long, so unpractical." Her expression darkened, the jealousy evident now on her face. Suddenly she lunged forwards, grabbing a shocked Sakura by her hair. "I'd never grow mine that long, not if I'm going to be a good sailor. You see what I can do to you because of your damned vanity? You see?" She tugged cruelly downwards, yanking Sakura's head down.

"Stop! You – stop it!" Sakura cried, wincing, falling to her knees as she tried desperately to free herself.

Kin bit her lip, glaring down at the struggling woman. "I'd never have pretty hair like you," she muttered, twisting Sakura's until she yelped in pain, eyes squeezed shut. Kin snorted. "Weakling."

_Stop – _

Sakura gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the stinging pain.

_Weakling. _

Not again, no not again –

_Never. Never never never never. _

Her eyes snapped open. Kin's dagger was tucked into the scabbard around her waist, a hint of gleaming metal jutting out from the brown leather.

"What are you doing?" The other woman exclaimed when Sakura reached up and unsheathed the blade, slashing up in one smooth arc.

Pale pink strands drifted down to the ground; Sakura fell back abruptly, gasping for breath.

Kin stared at the woman glaring up at her, the jagged ends of her newly cropped hair falling softly just below her chin. "You –"

With a sudden cry Sakura was up on her feet, a deadly gleam in her eyes. Her fist swung back – lips flickered up in a confident smirk – and then Kin was knocked to the side by the force of her punch. Her head hit the hard edge of the dining table with a sickening crack, eyes rolling back, and then she was down and unconscious on the ground, pink locks still grasped tightly between her fingers.

Sakura fell forwards, grasping onto the table for support. Her chest rose and fell shakily with each shuddering breath.

_Weakling?_

... ...Never again.

* * *

"I must have buried it on the other side," Sasuke told an impatient Orochimaru. "... ...Feh. It was too long ago, I can't remember correctly."

He had led their group on a futile trip across the broken silhouette of wrecked ships for the past half hour, trying to give as much time as possible for Gai, Lee and Sakura to escape. Now, however, the others were getting impatient and he knew he couldn't drag on the act for much longer.

Kabuto was watching him with narrowed eyes. "Hurry, brat."

Orochimaru merely scowled, beckoning to Sakon and Ukon, the two crew members he had picked to accompany them on their little excursion. The rest of the crew was back onboard the _Akatsuki, _guarding the ship. "Lead the way," he said quietly, the intensity of his gaze betraying his excitement at being so close to finding the map to what was rumoured to be the biggest hoard of treasure in the seven seas.

Sasuke nodded, stepping over a broken mast. "It must be on the other side," he reassured them calmly.

He led the way back in the direction of the ship, slowly clambering across broken planks and the various death traps hidden by the mist. By the time they had returned to the bottom of the walkway they were all sweating from the heat and exertion; Sakon and Ukon had stripped off their shirts, revealing the throbbing veins and disfigured tissue that joined them. Sasuke rested a hand on mast of the cargo ship, rubbing his fingers against the rope connecting it to the _Akatsuki _while scanning the area around them.

Gai and Lee were in the distance, half hidden by a tattered sail. He narrowed his eyes; they were jumping up and down, waving energetically despite being surrounded by guards and probably hiding the less enthusiastic Sakura from view.

The splints were out in an instant. A hiss of dry wood and a flame was flickering by his fingertips.

"Ssssasuke –"

He turned around to face the surprised pirate Captain, a lazy smirk back on his face. "Say goodbye to your ship, Orochimaru."

A flick of his wrist and the mast flared to life, a streak of light rushing up the rope and spreading rapidly along the banisters of the _Akatsuki, _down and across the deck, the heady scent of burning wood and scorched fibre wafting into the mist.

A terrified shout; he spun around to see Lee breaking away from Orochimaru's men and scrambling towards him, slipping against the slanted deck in his haste to reach the Uchiha.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, she's still in there! "

_She's still in there._

His head snapped up, the blood draining from his face as he watched the thick smoke mixing into the mist, further hiding the ship from view.

"Sakura," he breathed, and then he was off and running, darting across the crackling wood and headlong into the fire.


	15. Trial by Fire

**Chapter 15: Trial By Fire**

He could hear Kabuto barking orders to the men behind him, the clatter of a cane flung to the ground as Orochimaru spat loudly in disgust. Alarmed cries resounded in the distance; Gai had broken free and was racing to follow Lee as he rushed up the burning ship with Sasuke. ("Quick, Gai! Let us show them the burning passion of justice!") The _Akatsuki _crew rushed about, trying to put out the rapidly spreading fire with spare canvas and stores of precious fresh water. They were literally in a blind panic, smoke and mist mixing to sting their eyes – already jumpy at having been ordered to sail into a ship's graveyard despite their captain's assertion that they were about to uncover a great treasure, the sudden appearance of flames licking at the deck sparked the tightly coiled tension within each and every crew member; the unluckier ones found themselves at the brunt of a (youthfully) aggressive offence, Lee executing clean, rapid strikes with the efficiency of a professional soldier and Gai soaring through the air, shouting himself hoarse like a berserker and fighting with such dramatic flair that he resembled a madman with killer intent. Cutlasses were drawn as frightened men made haphazard attempts at defending their ship but unfortunately for them, Lee had a steel kick (actually it was the weights normally attached to his ankles for fitness training) and Gai, an iron fist – weapons enough, in such dire circumstances, to fend off half a panicked pirate crew.

Sasuke pressed on through the chaos on deck, swiping away the men and women who blundered into his way. Lee and Gai could deal with them for now; he had to act quickly, find that annoying woman with the annoyingly pretty pink hair before she burned alive and why, _why _had she not been with Gai?

(A cynical, biting voice at the back of his mind asked why he had not _made sure _she was with Gai before he had so stupidly lit the splints.)

Smoke was sinking rapidly into the stairway, further obscuring the narrow corridors below from view. Suddenly, a scream from within; _I'm coming, I'm coming, _he thought, an unfamiliar feeling of fear clutching coldly at his heart as he plunged down into the choking darkness.

* * *

Gaara was the first to see the _Sharingan. _

Kankurou and Temari turned when their brother casually strolled over to the stern of the ship, interrupting their quiet conversation with Shikamaru. The pirate had taken control of the steering wheel after Tenten told him of the secret location, being one of the Leaf locals who had actually been born on the island and knew the area best. Though normally domineering and possessive of her ship, Temari had let him take the steering wheel with little protest, trusting him fully despite her constant insults as to his ability. ("Don't crash my ship, Nara," she had teased. "We're on open water." "You're talented at wrecking things." "Like?" "My heart." A teasing pout."Bitch." "Landlubber.")

"Uchiha?" She now frowned, squinting to make out the warship barely a league away from where the mist began to manifest, a small blur on the horizon. "Are you sure?"

Gaara handed her the spyglass. "The flag," he pointed out calmly.

Temari cursed in the thick, guttural dialect of her home country when she glared into the spyglass and saw the infamous blue and red fan rippling in the breeze, black cloth cutting a harsh silhouette against the stunning blood red of the late evening sky. "What is _he_ doing here?"

"Perhaps it's merely a coincidence," Kankurou suggested hopefully. "A sweep patrol to ascertain territorial boundaries."

"That's highly unlikely." Shikamaru frowned, shaking his head. "There's a one in a million chance of entering this area. Itachi could not have found it unless someone gave him the exact coordinates."

"Orochimaru," Gaara supplied helpfully, still looking distinctly unperturbed.

"Orochimaru," Shikamaru agreed. "Business as usual, I suppose."

A pause.

"The good news is," Kankurou piped up brightly. "We now know that Sasuke _has_ probably led Captain Snakey in there." He jerked a thumb towards the mist.

"We can't outrun them at this distance," Temari pointed out tensely. "And clashing head on would be... ...undiplomatic. Konoha is still Suna's strongest ally and I can't fight the Uchiha." She shook her head, biting her lip. "Not even for you, Shikamaru."

Another pause. Then he nodded, spreading his arms out wide in a lazy stretch. "I understand," he yawned breezily, but his knuckles nudged her shoulder gently and there was something in his voice that said he really _did _understand. "How troublesome. We still have to go in there, though, so I suppose we'll just have to do the whole captured-prisoner thing like last time, Temari."

The last time Temari had 'borrowed' Shikamaru from Tenten for a cruise on the _Sabaku - _allegedly to teach Gaara how to play poker (a strange alibi, considering the fact that Kankurou, a fantastically practiced cheat at the game, could easily have done the job) – they had ended up having to rescue the crew of another sinking Sunagakurean patrol boat. Shikamaru had spent the rest of the little trip stuck in a cramped cabin, chained to a bedpost as Temari attempted to persuade the drenched men of the rescued crew that no, their esteemed first mate _had not _seen her 'captured pirate prisoner' playing poker with Colonel Gaara on deck.

(It was worth the trouble, Temari decided later, when she was greeted with the sight of a handcuffed and pouting Shikamaru upon going down to check up on said prisoner.)

"Yes, but what about the Hyuuga sisters? Itachi will want to take Miss Hanabi back if he sees her and I doubt that would sit well with Lady Hinata," Kankurou reasoned.

"Shi-Shikamaru!"

Speak of the devil. Kankurou raised an eyebrow when Hinata came barreling towards them, tripping over herself in her haste. The Hyuuga heiress had been taking a relaxing stroll around the top deck, ostensibly to take advantage of the beautiful weather (the air seemed blessedly clear after a day immersed in mist) but really to keep a worried eye on Naruto, who had fallen asleep on guard duty high atop the lookout perch. Since the fight with Kimmimaro Hinata had grown rather protective of the blonde out of a guilty feeling that she had partly caused his injury, fussing over him with an insistence that superceded her timidity; whenever the _Sabaku _tilted too much she would glance up nervously, convinced that Naruto would fall off and plunge down to his death - but he merely curled tighter around the main mast and muttered sleepily, swiping at some imaginary foe with a clenched fist. (_How _talented _and _dedicated _he was, _she had sighed privately to herself.)

Now, though, all thoughts of Naruto were fled from her mind as she raced to the group by the steering wheel, her shyness and niceties temporarily forgotten. "Shikamaru, Commander T-Temari – there's a ship there, I just saw it, it looks like its c-coming closer and I think I've seen it before, it's an Uchiha – " She broke off abruptly when a pale hand clamped down reassuringly on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Lady Hinata," Gaara said coolly. "We know."

Temari steadied the girl with a hand on her other shoulder. "Itachi's probably come to buy Sasuke once Orochimaru has managed to get the map off him. _If _he gets the map off him."

"What about Sakura?" Hinata pressed on breathlessly. "Do y-you think – will Itachi want her, too?" Before they separated Neji had grudgingly explained to her, Hanabi and Sakura what Asuma had told him back at the inn about Sasuke's apparent innocence and the identity of the real killer of the Uchiha clan. Itachi... was a madman. If Sakura was taken by him...

"Possibly," Shikamaru mused. "He might want her for interrogation in case Sasuke told her too much about, you know. That. Though, Sakura is a pretty lass. I'm not sure Orochimaru would sell her."

"W-why," Hinata bit out, surprising everyone including herself with the rare fierceness in her tone. "Are we talking as if we're g-going to let Itachi get to Orochimaru f-first?"

"Because at this rate, the best we can do is to get to them at the _same_ time as the Uchiha. We're too close," Kankurou told her kindly, taking pity on the way her pale hand was clenched tightly into a fist, her trembling as she turned her pale gaze to the approaching ship on the horizon. "And we can't fight him. We'll do our best to blast Orochimaru down to Davy Jones' locker, I promise you, if that will get Miss Sakura back... but...not an Uchiha."

"Then we w-will make a deal with Itachi for their return," Hinata announced bravely. "Anything to k-keep Sakura s-safe."

Kankurou raised an eyebrow. "Itachi never struck me as the bargaining sort. I had him as more of a _you are under arrest until you agree with me _type of fellow."

"We are not at a complete d-disadvantage," Hinata argued earnestly. "He will have to r-respect Commander Temari's wishes as the head of the Sunagakurean Navy. And I..." She paused, taking a deep breath and standing up a little straighter. "I – I am still the Hyuuga heir. He will listen to me."

"So instead of actually fighting Itachi for Sasuke and Sakura...you want us to have a verbal spat." Temari sounded doubtful, champion of physical aggression that she was.

"Well, considering the fact that you can probably conquer the kraken with your tongue alone, sister dearest, it actually sounds like a pretty good idea."

"Kankurou!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am – hey, I said I'm sorry! Argh! I'm SORRY, STOP! STOP! OW! Temaaaaaa-"

"Actually," Shikamaru interrupted, leaning forwards with interest. "I can think of a deal that might work. However...it will mean exposing you and the banshee - I mean," he corrected himself hastily (obviously someone had been spending too much time with Naruto). " – Hanabi, to risk."

The truth was that the plan he had – whipped up in a matter of seconds after his mind had latched onto Hinata's idea of a bargain – could endanger not only Hinata and Hanabi but also himself and Naruto, the resident pirates on board who were already on the Konoha blacklist – but if this trembling little white eyed lass could gather enough courage to save her friend...his masculine pride rebelled at the idea of not doing the same. (Alas, Shikamaru was as guilty of old fashioned chauvinism as that most distinguished of bigots, Hyuuga Neji.) And Naruto... ...well, Naruto was desperate to get Sasuke back and would probably walk the plank for the chance to save him.

Hinata dipped her head. "I...have talked to my sister already. Please, we are r-ready. Do whatever you think will help Sakura."

* * *

Sakura fingered the jagged ends of her hair. She felt lighter, as if she could hold her head up high more easily now – but it wasn't merely from being liberated from her thick, heavy tresses. The dark haired woman by her feet was still unconscious; she bent down and retrieved her dagger, tucking it neatly into a breech pocket.

A low hiss, coming from up above; she glanced out the window. Nothing but the slow rocking of decaying ships. She stalked over to the doorway, peering into the deserted corridors. The strange noise was getting louder, a dry murmuring that seemed to be spreading across the ceiling, quiet crackles rippling overhead. She shivered. If she didn't know better she would say this ship was haunted –

And then the stench of burning hit her, eyes widening when she caught a whiff of ashes and smouldering wood. Smoke was seeping down from the cracks in the ceiling paneling – at the top of the staircase she could see a thick, hazy cloud tumbling down relentlessly , consuming all that it passed in a dirty, opaque grey. Her back snapped straight in realization and suddenly she couldn't breathe, heart hammering erratically against her chest. The ship was – Sasuke had –

"The ship's burning!" A crew member suddenly appeared, ignoring her completely as he rushed down the stairs in search of remaining crew. "We can't save her now, get out, get out! Abandon ship! Zaku! Come up!"

_Oh God – _

The sound of burning was rising rapidly in pitch, reaching a roaring crescendo as the room above her was mercilessly scorched. She had to leave, _now – _

A jarring, horrific screech - the ceiling suddenly shuddered, sending dust and ash into the air – an agonizingly drawn out scream of twisting metal, and then the reinforcements gave way and the ceiling collapsed under the weight of an enormous chandelier, the contents of the upper room plummeting down in a burning mess of iron and splintered wood. Sakura screamed and ducked under the long table, dragging Kin's prone body with her just in time to escape being crushed. Reflected light from the shattered glass spun wildly across the walls.

_Tell me this isn't happening. _

She couldn't stay under here for long – the table legs groaned and trembled under the metal frame of the chandelier and it would only be a matter of time before this room, too, collapsed. Unthinkingly Sakura wrapped her arm around the other woman's shoulders and crawled out on her hands and knees, making her way through a maze of smouldering furniture. The fire singed her clothes and she patted herself down fretfully before struggling onwards, racking coughs stopping her every few seconds as the smoke choked its way into her lungs. The main stairway, thankfully, hadn't been completely destroyed yet; she could still make her way up as long as the structure held and –

Suddenly her knee smashed through the weakened paneling of the floor and she gasped, feeling her leg kicking in mid-air before she managed to jerk herself out. Panicking, she grabbed Kin and scrambled for the stairs desperately. She was nearly there, nearly nearly nearly and _damn _this woman, why was she still fast asleep when the ship was being reduced to cinders around her? She managed to drag them up one set of stairs to the next level, where she could see the gaping, charred hole where the room had been. The other side of the ship was relatively untouched, an inlaid row of gleaming black cannons protruding through circular openings in the wall. She shook her head, glancing up – only a few more sets to go and they would reach the top deck, she could _do this _-

Suddenly a dark silhouette emerged from the smoke, racing down the stairs. She blinked; who would be fool enough to come down here _now? _

"Sakura!"

She gasped, relief spreading like warmth through her body. "Sasuke! Sasuke, is that you?"

"Wait, I'm coming down!"

Suddenly she could feel hot tears prickling at the back of her eyes. He was here to help her – she wouldn't die after all – she would get out of this hell – she would _live _and -

"Thank God," she muttered thickly, staring up at his nearing figure, the outline of his face perfectly outlined by the yellows and golds of the burning stairway. "I was so scared... ..."

And then the top deck collapsed high above them, crumbling into ash. The stairway began to disintegrate from the top down, broken fragments smashing down and embedding themselves mere inches from where she crouched with Kin. Sasuke lost his footing, tried to jerk away from the gaping hole that was the stairwell but merely managed to accelerate his fall; Sakura watched in horror as he grasped uselessly at thin air for a few, terrifying moments before beginning the long descent down, down, down –

"Sasuke!" She jerked forwards, reaching out blindly – fingers trailed over his shoulder, a collarbone and then his arm before clamping tightly around his left wrist, snagging his fall with a rude jolt that tore the breath from her throat and sent her sprawling onto the ground. He grunted, grabbing onto the banisters with his other hand. Glowing embers floated through the air surreally like fireflies in the dark, scalding her exposed skin; she winced, clasping her other hand over his wrist in case he decided to fall and leave her alone in this hellish place. _Please hang on, please, please - _

"Hurry!" she urged him loudly and he grit his teeth, swinging himself over and next to her in one fluid twist of his hips. A low rumbling as the border between what remained of the stairs and the collapsed area rapidly approached; Sasuke grabbed Kin by her shirt and the two of them dragged her into the side gallery, flinging themselves upon the floor just in time. The wooden frame of the doorway snapped inwards as the steps they had previously occupied collapsed in a wave of rubble and ash; Sakura rolled onto her side, coughing violently.

"We have to keep going." Sasuke was next to her in an instant, shaking her by the shoulders. "Leave the woman."

"What? No!" Sakura struggled to her knees, wiping soot from her cheek. "We can't just _leave _her here to burn!"

"Feh. She's Orochimaru's," Sasuke grumbled irritably. "She'd just –"

"_No." _Her tone was final as she ran to the cannons. "Do you think we can we get out through here?"

"Let's experiment with your charity project," Sasuke muttered, towing Kin across the floor and stuffing her bodily into a barrel.

"_Sasuke – _"

Some technical adjustments, one hard push, and the rather unusual missile popped out of the cannon on the outside of the ship. The two waited with baited breath: _one, two, three..._then a loud splash, followed by an indignant scream. Apparently Kin had woken up.

"Let's go." They hurriedly eased into their own cannons, pushing their way through the tight metal barrels. Sakura gasped partly in relief and partly from vertigo when she managed to squeeze her shoulders out into relatively smoke free air. She stared down at the rippling, murky water; it looked far too shallow and far too _warm ­_ - they were, after all, in geyser territory.

"What are you waiting for?" Sasuke snapped at her, a trace of anxiety still edging his voice.

_What am I waiting for? _Sakura mused to herself, biting her lip, and then heaved herself out, out and...and then she was falling, limbs akimbo, half laughing because she was out of that dreadful place, _finally... ..._

Sasuke grabbed her the moment they surfaced, gasping for breath. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he towed them back to the cargo ship to which the _Akatsuki _had been anchored. Sakura buried her face into his soaked shoulder, light headed with relief.

"We're out," she murmured, closing her eyes.

"Yea." He didn't bother shrugging her head away, too busy trying to get them back on solid ground. (At least, that's what he managed to convince himself. It's not he _liked _the reassuring warmth of her pressed close to him, no. Of course not.)

"Thank you for going in to save me, Sasuke."

No response. He turned away, trying to hide the sudden flush that stained his cheeks.

"Though, you wouldn't have had to if you hadn't _set the ship on fire _while I was still in there, you know."

"...Feh."

The cargo ship was tilted down towards the water so that the lower edge of the deck was merely a few feet above the waterline and the side of the ship angled inwards, forming a small, triangular area where they would be hidden from those on the ship. Sasuke dragged them into the shadows, reaching up and clinging to the rim of the deck with one hand.

They listened for a tense moment: a few broken shouts in the distance, something being kicked across the deck above them. Nothing close by.

"It should be safe to go up," Sasuke muttered quietly. "I left Lee and Gai to take care of those _Akatsuki _freaks...they've probably all run away by now."

Sakura glanced over to the still burning wreck of what used to be one the Konohan fleet's finest warships. "I hope so," she sighed softly.

A peaceful quiet. They listened to the soothing rhythm of water lapping up against the ships, listened to the way their breathing gradually slowed and became more regular.

"They won't survive here long," he spoke quietly into her hair. Rather conveniently, he had forgotten that his arm was still currently wrapped tightly around Sakura's waist.

She shifted against his chest. "And what about us?"

"Tenten will come."

"Ah." She nodded, soaked strands tickling his chin. "So...maybe we should go up now."

"Maybe we should," he agreed, not moving an inch.

"Though, the water's actually at a pretty nice temperature."

"Uh huh."

Suddenly, a loud cry that echoed across the deck, distorted by the water: "MISS SAKURA! SASUKE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Heartbroken sobbing – Sakura giggled when she heard Gai comforting a seemingly distraught Lee. "NEVER FEAR, LEE! I am sure that they have survived the flames, because _THEIR_ flames of YOUTH are FAR MORE POWERFUL than mere ordinary –"

"Gai! Sir Lee! We're here!" she called out loudly. "Come help us up!" Grinning, she turned to Sasuke. "Looks like they're alright, after all."

Sasuke resisted the urge to wipe the soot from the bridge of her nose.

A long moment later he felt a hand clamp around his; a low grunt, and then both he was being hefted onto deck, Sakura still under his arm.

"Are you two alri-"

The question died on her lips as she was towed up. She hadn't remembered Gai nor Lee wearing _those _kind of boots... ...or that colour coat... ...

...and then she felt Sasuke stiffen by her side, a low growl rumbling in his chest. She looked up - froze - found herself staring into the impassive face of what appeared to be an older version of the man by her side.

"_Itachi." _Immediately Sasuke flung Sakura a safe distance away, launching himself at his older brother with a incredulous snarl. Sakura stumbled to her knees, twisting around -

"Sasuke!"

The man grabbed him by the wrists easily, stepping back to lessen the impact of Sasuke's blow. A vicious twist; Sasuke hissed in pain and Sakura gasped because he was suddenly down on the ground, a knee driven brutally into his back and arms pulled out of the way.

"_Sasuke!" _She scrambled up, slipping on the deck as she tried to run to his help but suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her by the shoulders and tugged, hard, sending her falling back against someone's chest.

"Get off me!" She struggled desperately against her assailant but his grip was too tight and she couldn't break away. Across from her she saw a small group of uniformed men, swords unsheathed - the Royal Navy, she realized with a jolt. "Get _off!"_

Suddenly her captor bent down, whispering harshly in her ear. "Miss Sakura! Calm down. It's me."

"..._Lieutenant Kiba?" _She twisted her head back disbelievingly.

"Yes. Relax, we've got this under control."

"_Under control?" _Sakura watched in horror as Itachi - _so _this _is his brother, _she wondered dazedly - calmly fished out a pair of handcuffs from a coat pocket and secured them around Sasuke's wrists. What on earth was going on?

"Very efficient, Uchiha."

She turned towards the voice and started, recognizing the blonde woman stalking towards them from the other side of the ship as the friend of Tenten's who had come to their rescue back on the _Kyuubi. _Following behind her were Hinata, Hanabi and two men she had never seen before, and behind _them, _huddled together, handcuffed and guarded by one of the blonde's men were Shikamaru, Naruto and a strangely quiet Gai. Lee was out cold, sprawled across the deck before them.

"What happened to Sir Lee?"

"We had to knock him out. Idiot was making too much noise," Kiba muttered. "...I never thought I'd see him again."

Itachi stood up, dusting his hands and beckoning to a subordinate. "Deidara."

A blonde man with a high ponytail stepped forwards, dragging Sasuke up. The younger Uchiha growled, butting him with his shoulder; Deidara snorted, punching him in the gut viciously before gagging him up. "He's stubborn, yeah!"

"Lieutenant Kiba," Sakura hissed. "Kiba,_ what is going on?"_


	16. The Uzumaki Uchiha Treaty

**Chapter 16: The Uzumaki-Uchiha Treaty **

_The servants had been dismissed for the night; only the master and mistress of the mansion cast their shadows across the tiger-skin rug of the drawing room, their outlines silhouetted by a dying fire. The woman was trying to embroider an elaborate pattern onto checkered cloth but her wrist was shaking in barely concealed anxiety, the needle slipping between trembling fingers. Her husband reclined on the couch, mouth set in a grim line. It was obvious the two of them were waiting for something, someone; the tension was palpable in the air. A heavy quiet blanketed the room, save for the crackling of firewood crumbling into ash, the faint ticking of the grandfather clock. _

_"Father." The door was slammed open and a harried looking young man strode into the room, still wearing full military regalia. "Father, tell me you didn't - "_

_"Itachi." The man's voice was stern, severe; Itachi paused._

_"Mother... Father." He bowed politely to the two of them, his impatience evident despite the formal greeting. Then, rushing on without waiting for his father to speak: "I heard from Uncle that you had decided to resume the status of the Treaty."_

_The woman paled; his father merely nodded. "I put forward the idea during the last clan meeting. Your uncle and the others supported my proposal."_

_A pause. Itachi stared at his father, visibly angered. "Why?" _

_"We swore allegiance to the Uzumaki a long time ago, Itachi. You know that very well. It would be a stain upon the Uchiha honour if we disregarded our promise." _

_"A stain upon the Uchiha honour," Itachi mimicked him disdainfully. "I suppose that betraying the current Emperor will reflect excellently on the Uchiha honour." _

_"Don't you use that tone with me, boy," his father growled warningly. The woman winced, leaned over to rest a hand on her husband's knee. _

_"Fugaku..."_

_"Stay out of this, Mikoto," he ordered, but his hand slowly came up to cover hers reassuringly. "Itachi - I can understand if you feel a certain...loyalty...towards Emperor Zabuza and his court. After all, you were only three when they overthrew Uzumaki Minato; you will not have remembered his close ties with our clan. But the fact remains that during the last few years of his reign - when Momochi Zabuza was still only a member of Court - Minato had already approached us about the possibility of a military coup from the man. The Treaty was - is - our promise to him that we would support his family should the Uzumaki right to the throne be challenged, and the Uchiha must and will fulfill it."_

_"Then why didn't we do anything when the old fool was overthrown?" Itachi spat angrily. He could barely believe that his family was planning to rebel against the current regime; powerful as they were, there was no way the Uchiha could hope to win against the might of the combined Leaf Empire. Instead, the Uchiha name would be shamed forever, ridiculed and cursed by all nobility. "I didn't see you doing anything when Zabuza took power!"_

_"He acted too quickly," Fugaku countered. "His army attacked at night when defences were down. By morning news had come out that the whole of the Uzumaki line had been wiped out. Without anyone left alive carrying the Uzumaki bloodline, the Treaty was nullified. But now that we have established that a few Uzumaki family members had actually fled to the Mist Federation and are currently organizing their own rebel forces...it is time to punish the traitor."_

_"By becoming traitors ourselves." Itachi fisted his hands in frustration. "Is that it? A few Uzumaki comes out of nowhere and we abandon all that we have worked for the last two decades, all that the Uchiha clan has become?" _

_"You have to see if from my perspective, Itachi. Minato was a good friend -"_

_"Don't talk to me of friendship," Itachi interrupted, disgusted. "I have always been proud of being Uchiha, Father. Do not give me a reason to feel otherwise. There is no honour in betraying your own country."_

_Fugaku sighed. "I thought we had discussed this already..."_

* * *

"Captain Itachi," Temari called out, hands on her hips. "I thought we had discussed this already."

"I've changed my mind," Itachi replied coolly. "I need my brother back in Konoha."

"What, to charge him with another crime? The silly boy already has a death sentence on his head. It would be much easier simply to hand him to me; after all, he is to be executed in Sunagakure, is he not?"

For decades Sungakurean and Konohan nobility had swapped their condemned prisoners, partly as a macabre method of strengthening their alliance, partly because the rule of law in both Kingdoms forbade the execution of aristocracy within the jurisdiction. Hence, those blue-blooded unfortunates who needed to be seen off for political reasons were shipped across the straits, to be beheaded or hung away from the public eye of their own people.

"It is a personal matter." Itachi brushed her off easily. "You may take Lady Hinata back to Sunagakure, however. I believe she is still expected there as an ambassador of Konoha."

"I need the boy, Itachi. He was a member of the pirate crew who attacked my ship." She gestured to Shikamaru and Naruto. "I will have him questioned along with these two."

"I assure you he he will be properly questioned in Konoha."

"I was attacked in _Suna _territory, meaning that he will be questioned in _Suna_ territory," Temari snapped.

"It means nothing but that your border patrols are perhaps not quite up to standard," he countered with quiet arrogance. "Now that you've mentioned it, I will also have to take those two ruffians of yours. I vaguely recognize them having spent quite a few years on our wanted list."

"And on ours! Uchiha Itachi, remember who you are and remember who you are talking to," she bit out angrily.

Itachi frowned, hand tightening over his scabbard. This loud mouthed bitch was not merely the commander of the Sunagakurean navy but the daughter of the Kazekage, the legendary head of the entire Suna military force and close advisor to the King. He knew he was outranked; being one of the highest ranking officers in the Navy and the last (legally) surviving member of a noble house only pulled so much weight with a veritable princess of Suna. And yet... ...

He had his doubts about handing Sasuke over to this woman, despite the fact that he was to be executed in Suna anyway. He had heard the rumours surrounding the blonde - talk of how she apparently _befriended _certain pirates and allowed them free reign of her territory. Ridiculous.

Though he supposed he should not be one to talk. (But then again, Orochimaru was different from the common ruffians who roamed the seven seas. He had, after all, served under Itachi for many years before his defection. Stealing the _Akatsuki _in the process was a grave insult, yes, but having a pirate willing to sell vital information and prisoners to him was an advantage that had kept Itachi one of the most successful men in his profession.)

"C-Captain Itachi." He glanced up; to his surprise Hinata had stepped forwards, staring at him with those disconcertingly pale eyes. "Commander Temari saved my sister and I from imprisonment by these b-barbarians. She deserves our gratitude. I hope that you will r-respect her wishes."

"Lady Hinata, you do not understand," he began. "While I am immensely glad that Miss Hanabi has been found and that-"

"You will listen to my sister." Hanabi's voice was cold as steel. "Do not presume to know what she does or does not understand, Uchiha."

Itachi narrowed his eyes but the girl held his gaze unwaveringly, the infamous Hyuuga pride showing in the stubborn jut of her chin, the pale hand on her hips.

"A truce, then," he offered finally, after an awkward silence. "I will extend an invitation to Commander Temari and the _Sabaku_ to return to Konoha with my ship. That way we may both question all the prisoners _and _safeguard Miss Hanabi's return. Lady Hinata can travel to Suna later; I am sure Lord Hiashi will be pleased to see her. We were all extremely worried when news of the _Konoha Maiden's _attack reached the capital."

Temari chewed on her lip, turning to mutter quietly with her brothers.

Sakura nudged Kiba with her foot, whispering. "What happened to Orochimaru?"

"Half his men were killed either in the fire or by Lee and Lee clone," Kiba murmured, eyes fixed intently on the scene playing out before them. "The rest got away, including the big man himself."

"Why didn't you chase after them?"

"Itachi got here a little earlier than us and decided it wasn't worth the effort to finish them off, I guess. Doesn't matter - if we don't get them this damned place will."

_Really, now... ..._

Looking at Itachi, she doubted whether that was the whole story. However, all suspicions fled from her mind when Temari coughed loudly, drawing attention back to herself.

"I accept your proposal," she declared regally. "But Sasuke will travel with me."

"The prisoners will be split evenly between us," Itachi insisted quietly. "I will take Sasuke and the blonde. The other two -" he jerked his head towards Shikamaru and Gai. "-can stay with you."

Temari shook her head. "Sasuke -"

"Is my brother," Itachi interrupted her abruptly. The late sunset burned a blood red hue across his pale skin, emphasizing the inky locks that he kept tucked back in a low ponytail, the blank, dead black eyes that distinguished him as Uchiha. "You of all people should understand the strength of familial bonds between siblings even despite a tarnished reputation, Commander Temari."

Behind her Gaara suddenly tensed, fists clenching; an angry flush tinted his cheekbones. Kankurou's expression immediately darkened.

"Uchiha," he growled warningly, while Temari paled, shifting unconsciously to block her youngest brother from view.

"Itachi, I..."

"Sasuke will stay with me," Itachi repeated forcefully.

Silence. Temari darted a worried glance back at the fuming red head. And then:

"Fine," Temari snapped, still visibly flustered. "Take him, but once we arrive in Konoha he is to be put in joint custody and the interrogation will _only_ be done in my presence."

"As you wish." Itachi nodded slightly. "Lady Hinata and Miss Hinata, naturally, will coming with me."

"I'm not planning to even step onboard the same ship as you, Uchiha," Hanabi informed him childishly, linking arms with Hinata. "I will be staying with Commander Temari."

"But you're...it is not proper."

"Sir Lee and Lieutenant Kiba can take care of us," Hinata interrupted smoothly. "I, too, would prefer spending more time with my future hosts."

Arching an elegant eyebrow, Itachi glanced over at the Inuzuka. Kiba started slightly at the sudden attention and gave him a small wave, face breaking into a rather cheesy grin.

"That, I can agree to," Itachi said slowly, hesitantly. Then his gaze slid onto Sakura and he frowned, continuing: "But I will insist on keeping the woman with me. For Lady Hinata's safety," he reassured her when the Hyuuga heir blanched. "I understand she is..._was_...a companion of yours, but we all witnessed just now what seems to be a rather dangerous relationship between the woman and my brother. I have no choice but to keep her for questioning."

"Captain Itachi," Hinata protested. "Sakura is innocent - look at her, she's drenched and cold and -"

"It is Navy protocol to interrogate all possible affiliates of convicted criminals," Itachi reasoned in a tone signifying the finality of his decision. "She will be amply looked after."

Sakura felt Kiba's hands tighten comfortingly around her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she smiled encouragingly at Hinata.

_I'll be alright, _she mouthed, forcing her smile wider at her friend's worried expression.

A low grunt issued from her right; she turned, wincing slightly at the sight of Sasuke still struggling against Deidara's tight grip. Their gazes locked and she was shocked to see the way he trembled in silent anger, the blind rage in his eyes. Rage, and something else - a raw kind of fear, both for himself and the others. He shook his head slightly at her - _don't go with him, he _can_ and _will _hurt you don't go don't go - _but Sakura merely squared her shoulders and flashed him a grin, hoping desperately that she looked more confident than she felt. She felt the knot of anger and anxiety tighten in her belly when Deidara twisted Sasuke's elbow painfully, leaving purplish streaks against pale skin as he prepared to lead the Uchiha away. He turned, glancing meaningfully at Kiba; the Inuzuka nodded and pushed Sakura forwards gently.

"Go with him," he instructed her softly, reluctantly. "...We'll come for you as soon as possible. Stay safe, Miss Sakura."

"I will." She took a deep breath and stumbled across the slanted deck towards Deidara, unable to repress a slight shudder when she passed Itachi, feeling the latter's gaze on her like ice slipping cold and tangible over her skin. Deidara finished tying her hands behind her back just as Naruto arrived by their side, escorted by one of Temari's men.

"Oy, Sasuke-bastard." The blonde was pale, looking tenser than usual, but his voice was threaded through with an intense joy and relief at seeing his friend again, a fierce determination in his gaze. "You look like shit."

Sakura felt a faint sense of deja vu when Sasuke rolled his eyes, a muffled 'Feh' issuing from behind the cloth used to gag him up. Naruto punched him lightly, then tilted his head towards Sakura as Deidara bound him up.

"Don't worry, Sakura!" he whispered very loudly, almost blinding her with a cheeky grin. "You still look very pretty even when you're completely drenched!"

"That is the least of my worries right now, Naruto," she replied, lips curving into a wry smile.

"No really, it's fine! I think you look great with short hair too," Naruto continued, eager to reassure the young lady that her feminine charms were still intact. "Even if it makes you look like you've been on the wrong end of a firecracker."

"I rather like it too, thank you."

"And of course, the fact that you have soot all over your rather big forehead does nothing to -"

"Shut up, Naruto."

And then they were off, Deidara pushing them roughly away from the others with an impatient "Let's go, yeah," and a knife against Sasuke's neck. The rest of the _Sharingan's_ crew stayed with Itachi, who was stalking across the deck to speak privately with Temari and the Hyuuga sisters. His ship was moored five minutes walking distance from the charred wreck of the _Akatsuki; _the four climbed and stumbled across the rotting skeletons of various abandoned vessels before the _Sharingan's _impressive silhouette loomed above them, the Uchiha flag drifting slightly in a faint breeze that did nothing to dispel the mist.

They were nearing the bottom of a walkway leading up to the top deck when a thin voice issued from beneath the overturned hull of a nearby fishing boat. "I'll take them from here, Lieutenant."

All heads turned to the slim figure detaching himself from the shadows and moving to block their way. Sakura felt herself go slack-jawed when she saw his face; the man was almost a perfect replica of Sasuke, save for the fact that his hair was cropped shorter and his features even more androgynous, his figure more slender. He was not in military uniform but the Uchiha insignia was still present on the shirt and trousers of his servant's garb. Besides her she could feel Sasuke stiffen, could hear his sharp intake of breath.

"Sai?" Deidara cocked his head to the side. "What are you doing down here, yeah?"

Sai was staring at Sasuke with an unreadable expression on his face. "I finished my duties, so I came down to see if I could help."

"Whatever, yeah." Deidara shrugged, shoving the three towards him. "Take them up, then. I'm going back to see what the Captain's up to, yeah."

So saying, he spun on his heel and stalked away, blonde ponytail waving jauntily behind him. Sai merely stood there, his gaze never straying from Sasuke's face.

A minute passed in silence, then two, three. The quiet lapping of water on crumbling wood was unnerving in its consistency, echoing and reflecting off ship decks and canvassing. Sasuke and Sai continued to watch each other blankly.

Finally Naruto shook himself, jumping up slightly in his frustration. "Oy, you there! If you're just gonna stand there like a landlubber then we're gonna run away! Aren't you worried about that, huh, aren't you worried?"

He took a few spastic leaps to the left to demonstrate but tripped over a plank and fell flat on his face.

"Naruto..." Sakura winced.

"No, I'm not particularly worried about that," Sai suddenly spoke up matter-of-factly, sliding a short knife from his pocket. "...There is nowhere for you to run to." He broke eye contact abruptly with Sasuke and turned, taking a few steps up the walkway before turning to glance back at them. "Follow me."

Naruto had managed to roll himself back onto his feet. "Damn you little deck rat! I'm gonna get you for that! I'm gonna whip Itachi's scrawny ass for what's he done to Sasuke-bastard, and then I'm gonna whip YOUR even SCRAWNIER ass just because you're a scurvy seadog and you wear clothing that shows your NAVEL! And then -"

At the mention of Itachi's name Sai stiffened but continued making his way up the walkway, leading the three across the deck. Instead of going down the main stairways, however, there was a hatch on deck that he lifted to reveal a small, separate set of rickety stairs, spiraling down the back of the ship into murky darkness.

"-I'm gonna make you wish that you never stepped on board this festering old boat - BOAT, hah! Because this old thing is NOTHING in comparison to the _Kyuubi! _And then you're gonna curse the day you began serving Itachi and his men - "

Sakura glanced at Sai worriedly. "Naruto, perhaps you should tone it down a little..."

" -because Itachi's just a dirty MURDERER," Naruto ranted on relentlessly, straining against his bonds, the rough rope cutting painfully into his wrists. "And he's gonna abandon you the moment he starts to lose because I'll bet a thousand gold pieces he doesn't know what the word LOYALTY means, and -"

"Be quiet," Sai ordered, fists clenching tightly by his side.

"- and all he cares about is his own sorry ass, which is probably why Sasuke is also a bit of a selfish jerk sometimes, it's in the blood and all, you know, but otherwise Itachi's -"

"I said, _be quiet!" _Suddenly Sai tightened his grip on his knife and swung the blade up, the steel edge slicing through the air with an audible hiss. Instead of aiming at Naruto, however, he lunged straight for Sasuke, thrusting the sharp point towards the Uchiha's chest. Sakura felt the blood freeze in her veins at his expression - his previously carefully blank face was twisted into a mask of frustration, revealing an intense hate and - _Jealousy? _she wondered numbly, as Sasuke's eyes widened and he tried to move away but the bonds were too tight and he couldn't move quickly enough and -

"SASUKE-BASTARD!"

- and suddenly Naruto was there, bodily shoving Sasuke out of the way with his shoulders. Sai's eyes widened momentarily - he jerked back but it was too late, the knife slicing into flesh before he could stop himself and suddenly his pristine white shirt was spattered with dark, dark red.

"Naruto!" Sakura shoved Sai out of the way, bending down to follow Naruto as he dropped to the ground. The wound at his shoulder was bleeding freely, ripped cloth hanging open to expose a long gash cutting open tanned skin.

"It's not deep," Naruto muttered thickly, trying to get up but failing. Sasuke had been knocked down by Naruto's momentum and now he twisted on the deck to get to the blonde, slipping slightly on thick crimson liquid. He was trying to say something but the gag was still too tight, muffling his words - Sakura leaned over and tugged it down roughly with her teeth, accidentally brushing her lips across the corner of his mouth but that really didn't matter at the moment because Naruto was down and he was - oh god, he was -

"Idiot," Sasuke snarled, furious at his inability to help his friend. "You goddamn idiot, why did you have to go and do that, huh?"

Footsteps resounded from below; people were coming up the main stairway. Sai was staring down at Naruto, lips parted in shock.

"You would sacrifice yourself for _him?" _he asked blankly, the blood tipped knife still dangling between his fingers. Naruto glared up at him fiercely.

"Is it so surprising to you," he gritted out through clenched teeth. "That I'd bleed for a friend?"

Sai blanched. "I...I didn't..."

"Hey, Sai!" Two soldiers had appeared on deck and were now hurrying towards them. "What's going on?"

Sai turned around slowly, still looking stunned. "Lieutenant Hidan? I... ..."

The man nudged him away to look down at Naruto and whistled softly when he saw the blood. "... ...Shit. We should get this thing down before the boss comes along, Kakuzu."

Kakuzu snorted, glancing irritably at Sai as he bent down to hoist the blonde over his shoulder. "Fool. You better hope he doesn't punish you with a smaller pay packet."

"I didn't -"

"Save the excuses for the Captain," Kakuzu grunted, sounding unimpressed. He kicked the hatch door until it was fully open and stepped down, dragging Naruto with him. "Some help would be good, Hidan?"

Hidan grasped onto Naruto's uninjured shoulder and smiled beatifically down at the blonde.

"Don't worry," he reassured the pirate as they began to make their way down the stairs, towards the prison cells. "I'll pray for you."

"Wait for me, Naruto!" Sakura picked herself off the floor and hurried down after them, leaving Sai and Sasuke muted on the deck, both still stained with Naruto's blood.

There was a moment of silence when the two of them struggled to come to terms with what exactly had happened barely a minute ago, staring at the blood seeping across the deck and tinting their hands.

"You little shit," Sasuke suddenly hissed, barreling into Sai and pushing him back with his shoulder. "You little shit, I'm going to kill you -"

Sai stumbled backwards, grabbing Sasuke by the shoulders and trying to maneuver him away.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him," he muttered almost as if to himself, wincing when Sasuke butted his jaw. "I didn't mean to - stop, stop it!" He shoved Sasuke away desperately, bringing a knee up to kick the Uchiha viciously in the gut. "Get away from me!"

The two tackled each other roughly, slipping and stumbling on varnished wood; heavy breathing and the dull _thud thud thud _of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the deck. Sai dropped the knife when he was knocked back and Sasuke immediately plunged down, pinning it to the ground with his knee.

"Go away," Sai choked, sounding almost like a plaintive child, reaching down and grappling with him for control of the knife. "Go away and leave us alone!" He grabbed the knife by the blade, oblivious to the way the steel cut into his fingers, blood welling up and dripping to the ground.

"Sai!"

The two froze at the familiar voice; the captain of the ship had returned, flanked by his men. Uchiha Itachi stiffened when two painfully similar faces looked up and glared at him, one out of anger and the other with hurt. He reached unconsciously for his own sword, fingers tracing up the scabbard by his side.

"Go down," he ordered Sai with a forced calmness. "Ask Sasori for work."

Sai paled. "Captain Itachi - I -"

"Go."

A quiet moment, broken only by their erratic breathing. Then Sai picked himself reluctantly off the deck, looking at Itachi with large, mournful eyes - _And in the end, you'd still choose him - _before limping away from the group, disappearing down the stairs without a backwards glance.

Silence. Itachi could feel the eyes of his men burning into his back and frowned.

"Follow him and prepare the ship for departure," he commanded quietly. "I will deal with my brother myself."

The crew members filed silently past Sasuke, leaving the deck empty save for the Uchiha brothers.

Itachi unsheathed his sword, stalking forwards and tracing the edge along Sasuke's exposed throat. The younger man glared up at him, a smear of Naruto's blood on his chin.

"What do you want?"

"Where is it?" Itachi asked in a low voice. Orochimaru had sworn that his brother had not given him the map when he found the pirate captain fleeing with the rest of his men, but...

Sasuke merely stared back at him blankly. "Where is what?"

His expression tightened. "The map," he spoke evenly, carefully controlling his anxiety. "The map to the Uchiha treasure."

"I don't have it with me." Sasuke shrugged.

"You gave it to Orochimaru?"

"No." He curled his lip in disgust at the mere thought.

Itachi stared at him for a long moment, searching his face intently. "Good. Perhaps you are not as foolish as I thought you to be."

"_You _are the fool, Itachi, if you think that you can hide the Treaty forever."

Itachi tightened his grip on the sword, eyes widening slightly. "You know about it?"

"Of course," Sasuke told him harshly, feeling a bitter gratification at his brother's surprise. "Why do you think I stole the map?"

* * *

_"Where is the Treaty?" _

_"That I cannot tell you. Your grandfather - the one who brokered the deal between Uzumaki Minato and the Uchiha - concealed it somewhere even I don't know of. What we have, however, is the map to find it."_

_"The map, then. Where have you kept that?" _

_"The fourth vault, with all the other possessions that are precious to the Uchiha," Fugaku told him slowly. Then he added as a barely concealed warning: "Guarded heavily by some of our best men, Itachi. It will be difficult for anyone to enter without my authority."_

_A pause. Mikoto stared into the dying embers in the hearth, unwilling to watch her husband and oldest son argue. _

_"I will not let you smear the Uchiha name," Itachi announced quietly. _

_If the Uchiha clan was to self-destruct... ...he was going to make sure they went down with honour fully intact. _

_"Itachi..." Suddenly Fugaku looked immeasurably sad, weary. "Itachi...why can't you agree with me for once?" _

_But Itachi had no answer for that, and so he merely bowed again to his parents, stray strands of hair falling loose to obscure his eyes. "Good night, Mother, Father." And then he was gone, the door shutting quietly behind him and leaving Fugaku to wipe the first few tears from his wife's cheeks. _

_No one noticed the small shadow in the courtyard slipping away from under the open window, the little boy hugging himself tightly against the chill wind as if that could slow the rapid beating of his heart._

* * *

"Are you worried, Itachi?" Sasuke smirked at his brother despite the blade biting into his skin. "The current rumours of the war about to break out between Konoha and Mist - it's them, isn't it? The Uzumaki survivors. Are you worried that someone somewhere just might know about the Treaty? Are you?"

Itachi ignored his brother's jibes.

"If you know about the Treaty," he said quietly, "Then you should understand why I had to do... ...what I did."

"No, I don't," Sasuke returned shortly. Then he added: "But you know what? I agreed with you, at first. I used to think that it would be a waste to squander everything that the Uchiha had become for the sake of a friend who had lost power."

"And what made you change your mind?" Itachi asked coldly.

A pause. When Sasuke spoke his voice was soft.

"I found a friend," he told his brother, "who would bleed for me."


	17. The Making of a Pirate

**This chapter is dedicated to and also partly blamed on my good friend Only Secret. What would I ever do without you? **

**--**

**Chapter 17: The Making of a Pirate **

On the fourth day, Neji awoke to the dull thudding of smooth steel embedding deeply into wood.

He opened his eyes blearily to find the previously empty hammock above him now swinging quietly from side to side, heavy cloth dented by the smooth curve of a back. It was late in the morning already and yet he still felt frustratingly tired, bone weary. The past few days had been hectic to say the least, with each member of the minimized crew taking up nearly twice their usual workload in order to keep the _Kyuubi _running smoothly; his usually sharply honed senses were dulled by fatigue, which was probably why he had failed to notice anyone entering the cabin and climbing above him. That, and the uncomfortable sleeping position forced upon him by the crudely fitted hammocks.

Hyuuga Neji was a relatively experienced sailor but he had always had the privilege of sleeping in a proper bed in his private Captain's cabin during his time with the Navy, leaving the hammocks to the common soldiers in the public sleeping areas. Now, though, he, Shino and Chouji spent their time off shift in a cramped cabin on the berth deck that was really nothing more than a narrow corridor, with two levels of the makeshift beds swung haphazardly from the ceiling. Tenten slept alone in her own sparsely furnished cabin, as did Ino (though occasionally the woman would stumble into the room, half asleep, and curl up in what used to be Shikamaru's hammock with her face buried against the coarse fabric. The men mostly ignored her when that happened, merely turning away quietly to allow her some privacy).

Now he blinked, wondering who had so randomly decided to occupy the space above him. Usually Chouji and Shino slept on the other side of the room and the two should still be working through their shift; besides, the figure seemed too small, too slender to be either of them. A few loose waves of rich dark hair dangled down, swaying gently in the air as whomever it was rocked lazily.

... ..._Tenten?_

He had never seen her with her hair down - the pirate lass preferred to keep her thick tresses up in two tight, practical buns most of the time. He blinked again and reached up, barely conscious of what he was doing. Another dull thud resounded in the cramped room; his gaze shifted quickly to the source of the sound and his lips quirked up in a dry smile at the sight of a perfectly horizontal line of short knives, buried up to their hilts in a low rafter at flawlessly consistent intervals. Tenten, definitely. Then his fingers caught onto her hair, tangling briefly in the loose, silky strands, and he marveled vaguely at how soft she managed to keep them, how they gleamed a dark chestnut in the warm light.

"Neji?" Tenten twisted in the hammock, startled. Neji was about to protest sleepily about the sudden loss of her lovely hair between his fingers when she stuck her head over the side and peered down at him, messy waves framing her face attractively.

"'Morning." She flashed him one of her increasingly familiar smiles, one that dimpled her right cheek rather fetchingly and told him she was in a pensive mood (because when she was genuinely happy, he had noted after the second day, both her cheeks would dimple and her nose would scrunch up slightly when she grinned). And then suddenly he was wide awake, all too aware of what he had just done - barely kept himself from flushing with embarrassment, and let his hand fall back discreetly to his side. What had he been _thinking? _Tenten had to be the most unfeminine woman he had ever met, and yet lately he seemed to be thinking about her many positive attributes in decidedly feminine terms. How strange.

"Good morning," he returned guardedly. Tenten rolled her eyes and fell back into the hammock with a soft sigh, resuming her previous slow swinging. He frowned at the strands that once again spilled tantalizingly over the side.

"I checked my tarot cards this morning," she told him conversationally. "Not a particularly good reading, I'm afraid."

"... ...Hn."

"Are you superstitious, Neji?"

"No." Fate could not be discerned through petty rituals or omens; fate was something much broader and all encompassing, the very current that guided one's life. Right? "Are you?"

"Very," she admitted unabashedly, staring up at the ceiling. "It's my only heritage from my parents. That, and my accuracy." Genma had told her that her mother had had the best aim he had ever seen, though that hadn't been enough to save her. Hadn't been enough to save any of the Han refugees on their little rickety fishing boat other than their baby daughter, either, but Genma said both her parents had put up a good fight.

Neji remained silent, trying to read between the lines, sifting her words automatically for any clue as to what she was really thinking.

"So," she began again a little while later, after the pause had dragged on into awkwardness. "What _do _you believe in? Religion? Hard work and good ethics?"

"Fate," he told her shortly. He believed in it, wholeheartedly. Didn't he? He had completely accepted his own inability to change the course of his life, his role as a puppet of the Hyuuga ever since his father had died by Hiashi's hand all those years ago. Fate was what had made him a successful Captain in the Navy; fate was what was going to keep him from rising to the very top ranks, because it was destined that his ailing Uncle would never allow him to become more politically influential than any Main branch member. Fate was what was going to kill him one day. And yet...and yet, a nagging feeling prickled at the base of his heart. Something was slightly off; surely it wasn't his fate, also, to be captured and wrenched away from the oppression of the Navy and his clan by this strange pirate lass swinging above him, this elegant, fierce woman with her calloused hands and burnt lithe limbs and a smile that spoke of hidden secrets darker than his own?

_Freedom_ and _Hyuuga _were not words usually uttered in the same sentence. His family name shackled him and he had been born to serve them till his very last breath - and yet here he was, with the taste of freedom bittersweet in his mouth. (Bitter, because he was still too set in his ways to believe so soon that he'd ever have it; sweet, because the past few days had shown him what freedom _could _be like and it was better than he had ever imagined.)

"Fate?" Tenten paused in her swinging. "Then we are not that unalike, are we?"

He raised an eyebrow at her question. "Perhaps."

Tenten closed her eyes, thinking back to her tarot cards, the fortune tellers she frequently sought out during her brief stints on land. She was just as trapped within her superstition as he must be in his belief in fate - had lived her life by it. From the very beginning she had known that her future could not be bright because she was bad luck, the worst luck – and how could she not be? Her life was made of what if's: what if her parents had not died protecting her, what if Genma had chosen to save Mama or Papa instead of her. What if she had been more careful and not left Gai behind, what if she hadn't lost Sasuke, what if this, what if that. She was bad luck and so she resorted desperately to any cheap trick, grasped at any little good luck charm or fragment of faith that just might protect her friends and herself (- _from _herself, rather.) Tenten spent precious time searching for clues to the future so she could know when to brace herself for the inevitable storms she must weather – but in the end she was and always would be bad luck, because that was what she had been born as, and who you were born to be would be who you _had _to be no matter how hard you tried to grow into something different, better.

The Hyuuga, too, were bad luck. Neji and his kind were just as cursed as she, which was why she had hesitated at first in getting involved with their problems – her crew was already unfortunate enough in having to deal with _her, _and she had known that in the end no good could come of inviting them onboard. But ultimately her own wants had won and here he was, supposedly cursed but –

- but surprisingly different to what she had expected. She had expected him to be cold, cruel, the Machiavellian stereotype of his birthright. But despite his aloof demeanor she had found a certain _nobility _in his actions, a fundamental honesty and genuine caring for his cousins. And seeing Neji slowly, awkwardly adjust to having the incredible weight of clan responsibility lifted off his shoulders, like a long imprisoned bird testing unused wings... ...Tenten realized that he was becoming something different from the Hyuuga. Something better.

And perhaps, if he could escape his fate... ...then she, too, could change. Perhaps.

"You're bad luck," she suddenly told him. _But I'll take a chance on you anyway._

A pause.

"Probably," Neji agreed wryly, and Tenten chuckled.

"Right," she yawned, stretching herself out in the hammock. "We should get going. I came down, you know, to tell you that we're raiding a ship in less than half an hour."

"Raiding a ship?" he echoed, surprised by the abruptness of her announcement.

"Indeed," Tenten confirmed gravely. "Apparently it's what pirates do."

"I thought you had planned our course to avoid the main trading routes," he pointed out, rolling off his hammock just as Tenten flipped herself to the ground. "Why would – "

He broke off abruptly when he saw her properly, finding the words dry on his tongue.

She was wearing an off-shoulder top with loose sleeves that reminded him of the gypsy women who wandered the outskirts of the Konohan capital; large hoops dangled from her ears, glinting gold against her dark hair. Her shoulders were left bare, sun-kissed skin almost glowing copper in the light filtering through grimy windows. The thin white fabric was tied up carelessly a mere two inches below her chest - leaving her midriff scandalously exposed, he noted interestedly, before his gaze slipped down to the thick belt around her breeches on which hung several scabbards and painful looking metal instruments. Whereas normally Tenten chose to scamper around the ship barefoot, now she wore a pair of sturdy knee-high boots, polished and gleaming black.

She noted his rather surprised expression and grinned. "Gotta impress those landlubbers when we attack," she explained, shrugging one smooth shoulder. "You have no idea how much the effectiveness of a raid depends on their preconceived ideas 'bout the big bad pirates. Besides, with only the five of us to pull off this job, we'd have to look as rough and tough as possible." She struck a menacing pose jokingly, though her fingers trailed across the hilt of a dagger with a genuine and rather alarming tenderness. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't wearing this when you attacked _my _ship," he reminded her amusedly. Not that he was complaining about her current attire. Not at all.

She shrugged again. "The Navy deals with our kind enough to know better than to be intimidated by appearance alone."

"... ...Hn."

She smiled. "Come on, let's go. They're waiting upstairs."

So saying, she spun on her heels and strode away, disappearing up the stairs without a backwards glance.

He quickly threw on a shirt and followed her hastily, tying back his hair with a black bandana. A strong wind was blowing when he emerged onto the deck and the air was salty with sea spray: sharp, wet, stinging. The sky mirrored the water's hue with a brilliant blue; it was nearing midday and the light was already losing its golden quality, shimmering down in blinding white rays and warming the faded deck. The sails billowed above him in vast swathes of pale cream fabric, speeding the _Kyuubi_ towards what appeared to be a small merchant carrier barely a league away.

"Oy, Hyuuga!" He glanced up, squinting, to find Ino waving to him from where she was swapping their normal flag with the tell-tale fox insignia with one displaying the markings of a Sunagakurean trading vessel. Her wind-swept hair rippled around her face like a golden halo; pale blue eyes glittered with exhilaration and her cheeks were stung red by the wind (or could that be war paint?) "Tell Shino Tenten wants to check that batch of scythes he prepared the other day!"

"Morning, Neji," Chouji greeted him cheerfully, throwing him an apple before bustling away with a load of spare canvassing hoisted over his back. Neji nodded in thanks and bit into the fruit as he made his way across the deck to where Shino was steering the ship. The Aburame glanced back at his footsteps.

"Go find Tenten," Neji told him. "I'll take over."

He took the spyglass hanging on the wheel and examined their would-be victim, trying to suppress his growing alarm at the fact that he was about to break the Law and commit a Highly Immoral Act. Deserting the Navy to save Lady Hinata and Miss Hanabi was one thing; attacking an innocent shipload of civilians was another, even if their supplies _were _dwindling dangerously. His heart sank when he saw the probable reason why, despite the _Kyuubi's _deliberately remote course, they had still managed to come across such a ship: its sails were torn in areas and its bowsprit battered, splintering cleanly down the middle. The ship had most likely been blown off course by a storm; attacking it would be like attacking a limping lamb with asthmatic tendencies.

Nevertheless, he took his bearings and swung the _Kyuubi _starboard, setting them straight for the target. Ino had swapped the flags too late; the frigate had already spotted them and was trying to get away, tattered sails billowing uselessly in the gale and succeeding only in bucking the small ship from side to side. The waves were getting choppier by the minute and salty spray exploded over the gunwale as the _Kyuubi _sped through the waters, leaving pale froth slipping across the foredeck.

He had guided the _Kyuubi_ near enough to see the name of their victim –_ Pearl of the Icha Icha –_ when suddenly a black-tipped scythe embedded itself in the deck barely an inch from his boots. He turned to find Tenten making her way towards him, looking for all the world like a walking armoury.

"You alright with this?" she asked loudly, shouting to be heard over the wind.

"Of course," Neji replied gruffly, feeling a little insulted by her concern. "I'm merely feeling rather doubtful as to whether we really should be picking on a small frigate like this."

"Don't feel sorry for them," she told him blandly. "They look pretty harmless, but they _do _have weaponry on board. Asuma nearly died on one of these raids. Besides, we need to ransack their pantry."

Neji glared at her. _Heartless woman. Terrible, really, if rather pleasant to look at._

"We're pirates, Neji," Tenten continued, voice hardening. "Outlaws. We take what we can, or else we'd never survive. And don't you want to save Sakura?"

He had no answer and they glared at each other for a moment before her expression softened and she stepped back, looking him up and down.

"I'm afraid, sir," she began again, and he found himself involuntarily smirking already at her joking tone. "That you don't look half as frightening as you should. I must insist that you wear this." She slipped an eye patch from a pocket and handed it to him, trying to keep herself from laughing outright at the bewildered expression on his face. He took it grudgingly and put it on, blinking a few times to get used to the feeling of being half blinded before eyeing her sideways.

"Arrrrrr," he intoned dully.

"Bravo." Tenten nodded, grinning. "I'm impressed. We'll make a respectable pirate out of you yet."

"I'm flattered."

"If you two love birds have finished making eyes at each other," Ino suddenly butted in, hauling a load of grapnel towards them and flinging the metal hooks over the deck, "My humble opinion is that we should prepare for boarding."

Neji opened his mouth but found himself at a loss of words to deny her accusation; Tenten merely blushed prettily and sidled away from the Hyuuga.

"Right," she nodded, now striding purposefully away. "Let's get the others into position."

A hoarse shout from across the water; the _Kyuubi _was now nearly parallel with the other ship. The crew of the _Pearl of the Icha Icha _had assembled on deck with an assortment of knives and was currently hurling the blades across the deck in a futile attempt to defend their ship. Ino merely chuckled and flung the grapnel across the gap, the ropes uncoiling rapidly and binding the two vessels together. Chouji was running towards the side of the ship with surprising dexterity; Ino nodded to him and clambered onto the railings, emitting a shrill war cry – "Let's go, Tenten!"

Neji had never seen a boarding quite like this before – he supposed it was necessarily improvisatory due to their small numbers, and watched blankly as suddenly Tenten and Shino barreled across the deck with their knives brandished in the air – "Closer, Neji!" she instructed him roughly, and he swung the ship further starboard – all four were now balanced precariously on the banisters with the other ship barely four feet away, and then -

"_Attack!" _Tenten let out a piercing cry and flung herself across the gap, landing on a frightened sailor and kicking him solidly in the chest.

"Aye, Captain!" The rest followed her loyally, whooping and screaming; Neji gritted his teeth, bemoaned his ill fated soul and sprinted across the deck with scythe in hand, leaping cleanly across the water and landing next to Shino.

"First one to resist ends up in Davy Jone's Locker!" Ino snarled, slashing forwards with her cutlass.

"Filthy thieves," the first mate of the _Pearl _hissed, starting towards them, and was promptly knocked to the ground by a growling Chouji.

"Get 'em!" Tenten instructed. "Go down, check the cabins for what they got. I want all provisions and their booty accounted for!"

And then they were off, scattering into the midst of the crew. The sailors were frightened but still adrenaline charged from the storm that had nearly wrecked their ship and they fought back desperately, clumsily. Neji worked his way efficiently through two twins, knocking one to his knees and jabbing a well placed palm into the other's throat.

"Excuse me," he muttered, shoving them out of the way and forcing his way down the stairs. Above him the dull thudding of bodies hitting the deck vibrated with impressive consistency. He ran through the corridors, slamming open door after door. Most were filled with merchandise: oriental rugs, spices, expensive furniture - but there were four stockrooms filled with preserved food and barrels of fresh water. A sudden scream resounded from behind him; the _Pearl's _captain and his wife had just emerged from their cabin, the poor man looking terrified. Neji curled his lip in disgust – what kind of Captain hid below deck while his men risked their lives for the ship?

"Stay where you are, heathen!" the Captain sputtered, unsheathing a rusty sword. The woman clutched at his shoulder, wide eyed with fear as Neji ignored his warning and strode calmly towards them.

"So sorry, m'lady," he apologized politely, punching her husband into the wall without further ado. The woman gave him a bewildered look and blushed. Neji ignored her and rummaged methodically through the man's pockets, withdrawing a gold pocket watch, jewelry – anything they could barter off later for more supplies. Then he slammed the man's head against the wall again for good measure and heaved him into one of the spare rooms, leaving the woman to whimper quietly by the unconscious body.

He continued on his way, heading down in the hopes that the cellars would hold more provisions. Raiding this ship was much less unpleasant than he had imagined it; Neji was unused to breaking the rules and now he was smashing every single one into smithereens. It felt surprisingly... ...freeing. To his horror (though he would never admit it) he found himself rather enjoying it, the thrill of his blood pounding hot and quick through his veins, each nerve crackling with anticipation.

Neji had reached the last deck above the waterline and was preparing to continue straight down to the cellars when a faint cry reached his ears, dampened through thick wood: _"Jiraiya!" _

The voice was shrill, panicked. Neji paused, torn between his conscience and this new recklessness he was discovering, this indirect revenge on civilization for all that he had been subjected to through the years. Rapid footsteps from above told him that Tenten and the others were fighting their way down after him. Surely he had time to do a quick check... ...

"_Jiraiya! Jiraiya wants porn!"_

He blinked. Perhaps the fatigue was finally getting to him and he was hearing things. Curious now, he made his way along the side gallery to the cabin from which the voice emitted. The door was locked; he slammed his shoulder against it once, twice, before it creaked open in a small explosion of splintered wood. Sunlight streamed into the corridors, illuminating the dust in the air. It was merely another roomful of furniture, ethnic carved pieces stowed against one wall and embroidered cushions from the Mist Federation piled against the other. In the middle of the room, though, hung a large gilded cage, in which perched a parrot with incredibly long, silver tipped feathers. Neji stepped into the room and it cocked its head to the side, examining the Hyuuga curiously.

It was a beautiful parrot, sleek and greying but magnificently so. Neji approached it slowly, pitying the bird its cage. The door slowly fell shut behind him; despite the commotion upstairs this room was surprisingly quiet, calm, filled only with silence and dust and this feathered creature.

His gaze fell to the key dangling on a chain from the bottom of the cage. Without even thinking about it he strode across the room and jerked open the small porthole, allowing the salty air to overwhelm and disturb the stillness of the room. Then Neji returned to the cage and undid the lock, sliding open the metal door. The parrot squawked once and flapped its wings, rushing up into the dusty air in a flurry of silver. Neji watched it circle once about the room, the corner of his lips twitching up in a small smile.

_Fly away, _he thought. _Fly away and - _

He jerked back violently when the parrot perched itself on his shoulders, ruffling out its feathers complacently.

"Jiraiya wants porn," it chirruped, eyeing Neji beadily. "Jiraiya wants porn!"

"What in heaven's name are you?" Neji jumped away, shrugging his shoulders in a futile attempt to lose the damn bird. "Shoo! Fly away, bird. Shoo!"

Jiraiya dug its little claws into the loose fabric of his shirt with admirable tenacity. "Jiraiya wants porn," it instructed Neji again, its high pitched screech rising in pitch.

Suddenly Tenten burst into the room, slamming the door open and coughing slightly when dust tumbled onto her from the supporting beams. "Neji, are you alright? I heard something in here and -"

"Neji wants porn!"

The Hyuuga paled and swiped at the bird. Jiraiya merely shuffled closer to the crook of his neck, rubbing its little head against Neji's chin. "Neji wants porn," it repeated affectionately.

Tenten burst out laughing. "You found yourself a parrot?"

"I tried to set it free," Neji told her grimly. Directing his most terrifying glare at the little thing (a difficult feat, considering the fact that it was still perched happily on his shoulder), he growled: "Get away from me, you immoral beast."

"Porn," Jiraiya reminded him cheekily.

Neji winced. "I'll get rid of it upstairs," he told Tenten, but she merely laughed and shook her head.

"You can keep it if you want to, Neji," she teased, grinning. "Now come on, we're leaving."

"What about the cellar?"

She shrugged. "There's enough in the stockrooms to last us to Konoha. We can't be cruel enough to take _all _their supplies," she explained wryly.

_Hn. Perhaps _not _so heartless a woman, after all. _

He glanced sideways at the bird. "Jiraiya," he repeated strictly. "Stick to Jiraiya. Not Neji."

When they emerged back on deck the entire crew – save for the comatose Captain and his wife – was assembled on deck, either unconscious and bleeding or tied securely to the masts. Ino and Chouji were counting up the provisions and valuables they had recovered, while Shino kept an eye on their prisoners.

"Nice bird," he commented dryly as Neji and Tenten approached. The parrot preened.

"Jiraiya wants porn!"

Chouji stared at it dubiously. "Don't most birds ask for crackers?"

Neji sighed and shrugged, hoping the strangely perverted creature would fly away now that it was in fresh air, but it remained perched steadfastly on his shoulder.

"_Bitch!" _

All heads turned; the first mate was still seething, glaring at Tenten. He spat at her disgustedly. "You'll pay for this. The storm that wrecked us, aye, it'll get you too, just you wait. Your ship will be torn to pieces."

"Silence," Tenten ordered harshly. "One more word from you and you'll have the pleasure of walking my plank."

The man growled but obeyed. Tenten scowled and turned to her crew. "Gather up as much as we can take," she instructed them confidently. "I want to get to Konoha as soon as possible."

But then she glanced at the horizon with a quickness that belied her reassured tone; his words had obviously hit a nerve. Neji turned to follow her gaze and narrowed his eyes. The sky above them was a spotless stretch of shimmering blue but in the distance there was the faintest grey line, hovering on the edge of the water. The first mate was right: the storm – powerful enough to inflict such damage to what should have been quite a sturdy vessel - had not dissipated yet, had drifted after the frigate, barring the way to Konoha.

Neji frowned and bent down, hoisting a sack of flour over his free shoulder. Ino had stationed a plank in between the two ships to make transferring the goods easier and he clambered up, passing Tenten on the way.

"We'll be alright," he told her quietly.

She turned to look at him, surprised and gratified. "Of course we will," she echoed, but her voice lacked conviction and when he left she turned back to watch the distance with an unreadable expression on her face.

_A storm, huh. _

"... ...I guess it's just bad luck."

--

**Only Secret was the one to suggest the "Neji wants porn" line, so please send all death threats or marriage proposals her way. **


	18. Just a Little Bit of Rain

**Chapter 18: Just a Little Bit of Rain **

It was late afternoon by the time the wind started to pick up near the _Kyuubi. _The shift in weather had been building for hours but it was only now that it could be felt as a subtle drop in the temperature, a new edge in the air that cut the skin like knives. The grey line simmering in the horizon had steadily expanded and drawn closer, bruising the distant sky with smudges of inky blue-black. The moment all the supplies had been hoisted onboard and the ship was a safe distance from the _Pearl _the crew had set to work, Chouji and Shino busily storing their loot and the rest hurrying around preparing for the inevitable storm – hammering down the spare hatches, waterproofing every crack in the deck and rigging up the storm nets.

Tenten was peering up at the top sails dubiously when Neji crossed the quarterdeck with a bucket of tar in one hand.

"Think we should get those up?" she murmured contemplatively as he drew closer, frowning a little at the way a few newly mended patches of fabric were already tearing at the stitches. (That Naruto had never been terribly handy with a needle.) "Or should we wait a bit? We still need to get to Konoha as soon as possible and the wind speed is perfect right now... ..."

"We can probably afford to wait a while," Neji replied guardedly. Tenten turned to face him, face breaking into an amused smile at the sight of the poor parrot perched on his shoulder, beak securely tied shut with an old rag. Its beady eyes held a rather wounded expression but still it refused to relinquish its hold on the Hyuuga's shoulders, silvery feathers bobbing up and down with each step the man took.

"The storm doesn't look too serious," she commented hopefully. "Probably just some rain and the odd bit of thunder, you know - the usual. Our luck can't be _that _bad, right?"

"Right." He nodded.

The two blinked mutely when the distant sky was sliced apart by a sudden streak of lightning, a brilliant flash of electric gold that almost sizzled through the grey, wet air. A second later the deep rumbling of thunder rolled heavily towards them, along with the strongest gust of wind yet, cold and stinging their eyes with sea salt. The parrot gave a muffled squawk and beat its wings against the sudden onslaught, almost toppling backwards before Neji silently shot a hand up and resignedly anchored it down by a little claw.

A pause.

"I'll go shorten the sails," Tenten sighed heavily, and stepped away to do just that.

* * *

In the end, it was politics that saved Naruto.

Although he himself couldn't have cared less whether the blonde bled to death in the poorly lit prison deck of his ship, Itachi could not risk bearing the brunt of the influential Sand siblings' anger by arriving in Konoha with a dead pirate on his hands, as inconsequential as said pirate may be. The three prisoners were taken care of by his reluctant subordinates: they were fed the same meals from the pantry as the crew, allowed out to clean themselves regularly, and necessary medical attention was given to Naruto's injury.

That was not to say, however, that he was in any way _comfortable – _the ship medic had only bothered to clean and apply a few bandages to the deep gash in Naruto's shoulder and it bled regularly despite a whole day having passed since Sai's attack. Now Sakura watched as the young man turned on his side from where he lay in his cell, fingers coming up sleepily to rub at his bandages, the thin cotton staining a coppery red.

"Naruto." She crawled forwards. The three of them had each been put in separate but adjacent cells, with her allocated in the middle. The cell bars, however, were thin and spaced out wide enough for her to slip most of her shoulders through if she strained forwards just enough; from there she had been able to replace some of the old, stinking wrappings around Naruto's wound with cleaner strips of cloth torn from her shirt. "Naruto, you've got to stop fidgeting with them."

Quietly she worried about the possibility of infection. Naruto seemed almost feverish, eyelids hot and trembling as he hovered between sleep and consciousness. His fingers continued to tug at the wrappings and Sasuke frowned, masking his concern behind the irritated tone in his voice as he called loudly to the blonde.

"Oy, wake up." He rapped his chains against the iron bars loudly and Naruto jolted awake, startled. "If you don't stop that you'll kill yourself with blood poisoning. Idiot."

"Shut up, bastard," Naruto growled thickly, dragging himself to the edge of his cell where Sakura could check his shoulder. "If I die it'd all be your fault."

"Feh. I didn't ask you to take the blow for me," Sasuke reminded him sharply, but the anger in his voice was directed more at himself than at his friend. "Don't do it next time."

"Yeah, I'll just let you get stabbed to death next time someone who hates you comes along. That shouldn't take long," Naruto muttered sarcastically, settling his head against Sakura's knee and gazing up at the pink haired woman with a grateful smile. "Thanks a lot, Sakura! You're a good lass."

Sakura blushed lightly, returning the smile. "You really should take care of yourself more, you know. I mean – hey!" Suddenly she slapped the man, hard, leaving a dark palm mark on his skin. "Stop staring at my chest!"

Sasuke snorted from the corner of his cell. Naruto nursed his cheek, pouting. "Aw, I'm an injured man, Sakura... ..."

She glared down at him and shook her head exasperatedly, fingers deftly retying a loosened knot in the tangled mess of bandaging. "You bring everything down on yourself, you know. Sasuke's right, you didn't have to play the hero. Look what it got you into. Just shut your mouth next time and stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Ah, don't worry." Naruto grinned cockily up at her. "We Uzumaki are hardy folk. I can get myself out of any situation, no problem!"

Sakura rolled her eyes before suddenly pausing, fingers stilling against his skin as she glanced down at the man. "Uzumaki?" She frowned slightly. "That sounds rather familiar." She had heard the name somewhere before, she was sure – while gossiping with the other court ladies, perhaps, or sometime during a dull history lesson with her governess. For some reason Sasuke had gone very still, scowling at Naruto with a look that clearly read (really surprisingly): _idiot_. _Idiot, idiot, idiot - _

Naruto was quiet for a moment, looking suddenly unsure of himself as she tried to place the name.

"Aye," he began hesitantly. "You might have. It's –"

"No entry allowed without authorization from the Captain, I'm afraid."

The three froze when their guard's voice drifted around the corner. Someone murmured quietly and Kakuzu snorted. "No. I'm not about to defy the Captain's orders just so you can play the fool –"

The unmistakable jingle of coins. A pause.

" - Although I'm sure fifteen minutes won't hurt anyone. Mind you, fifteen minutes only - that's all I'm giving you. And don't tell Hidan about this."

Sakura wondered uneasily who would be visiting this late at night. She looked up when footsteps approached, eyes widening when a familiarly exposed abdomen came into view. (A rather pleasantly toned abdomen, she noted appreciatively, but quashed the thought instantly with a faint surge of loyalty towards the blonde by her side.)

"What do you want?" Naruto was up on his feet in an instant before Sakura could protest, glowering at the man coming to a stop before his cell. Sasuke tensed up, wrists straining against his shackles as he also stood at Sai's unexpected presence – but he merely paid attention to Naruto, keeping his eyes carefully off the Uchiha. Sai examined the blonde with a blank expression as he stood barely a foot away from the iron bars that separated them, obsidian gaze noting the quick anger in his face with an almost clinical interest. Then he slipped a pale hand into his pocket and Sakura jerked onto her knees apprehensively, only to relax when it emerged with a small tub of what looked like ointment.

"Salve for your injury," Sai informed the other man in a polite tone, holding it out stiffly. Naruto merely growled.

"I don't want your pity, ya pox-faced swine!" Sai blinked when he made as if to slap the ointment out of his hand, but Sakura was there first; grabbing onto Naruto's wrist with an iron grip, she extracted the tub quickly and dropped it into her cell.

"Don't be rash," she scolded the pirate angrily. "You need that and you know it!"

"It's probably poisoned," Sasuke spoke up spitefully, glaring at his look-alike with undisguised disdain. Sai glanced over at Sasuke, frowning, one hand going to the scabbard hanging by his belt and withdrawing a thin knife – Sasuke lunged forwards immediately, intent on disarming the man – but once again Sakura was the quicker of the two.

"And you!" She whirled onto a startled looking Sai, whipping an arm out and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "What do you think you're doing _now_, huh? Haven't you had enough? One mangled shoulder is already plenty of work for me, you irresponsible fool!" She pulled back violently, slamming poor Sai against the cell bars. "If you even _try_ to do anything funny within one foot of Sasuke, I swear I'll tear you into little bloody pieces when I get out of this place–" Here both Naruto and Sasuke blinked and edged away involuntarily at the deadly aura emanating from the young woman. "- and I'll feed each pathetic, worm bitten morsel to the sharks _myself_. You hear me? _Savvy?_" She shook the man roughly as a last emphasis, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like _"Honestly. Men!" _

Silence (as said men struggled to pick up the shattered pieces of their masculine pride. Terrified by a pink haired young thing? No, of course not... ...)

"I wasn't –" Sai struggled to speak but found it rather difficult to do so, his left cheek being currently crushed flat against a cold iron bar. Sakura scowled and released him slightly. "I – I wasn't about to attack Sas – the traitor_."_

A pause.

"Oh." Sakura regarded him with vague suspicion before stepping back.

"I came to apologize to Narito," Sai continued, the blonde's name sliding awkwardly off his tongue.

"It's Naruto," the blonde snarled. Sai nodded gravely.

"I had not meant to injure Narito, and I am sorry that I lost my temper back then," he said dutifully, sounding and looking for all the world like a child reciting a prepared apology – back impeccably straight, a suitably somber expression on his face. "And now... ..." Naruto drew back, surprised, when Sai offered him the knife by the blade, handle exposed for the taking. "... ...You may have your revenge."

Silence.

"The scurvy's eaten your brain," Naruto told him, almost slack jawed with disbelief.

Sai blinked. "Isn't that what I was supposed to do?" At Sakura and Naruto's jointly skeptical expression, he elaborated helpfully: "In an attempt to understand you dastardly pira- I mean – you and your kind, I have spent some time in the study examining the text _Curse of the Silver Coin. _I am merely mimicking Captain Jiraiya Silverbeard's attempt to regain his – what was that term now – _seaman's honour ­– _by offering my body for the uh, _justice of the seas." _

"_Curse of the Silver Coin?" _Naruto's eyebrows shot up. "That's what Tsunade-Granny used to read me before bedtime! When I was a young lad, of course," he hastened to add when Sakura looked at him strangely. "Jiraiya's this writer who put himself into nearly all of his stuff – Captain Jiraiya Silverbeard? Heh, what a joke. Tsunade-Granny says he's a landlubber if she ever saw one."

Sasuke glanced at him dryly. "I've never heard her mention that name."

"No, she never used to want to talk 'bout him much," Naruto admitted, shrugging, before turning his direction back onto a perplexed looking Sai. "Relax, ya scrappy bilge-rat, I'm not stabbing you with that thing any time soon." He paused. "What's that book doing on the ship, anyway?"

Sai stared at him for a long moment, before declaring solemnly: "If Captain Jiraiya Silverbeard was alive today, Narito, he would say that you're a, uh, _right honourable fella. _I salute you for it."

"Captain Jiraiya Silverbeard is not _real," _Naruto exclaimed, frustrated. "He –"

"But what I don't understand," Sai pressed on, stepping closer to the blonde, "Is why you would go through so much for someone like _him." _He pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, who looked rather ruffled at being thus declared unworthy of self-sacrifice.

"That's a question I'd like the answer to myself," Naruto muttered, earning a dark glare from the Uchiha, before shrugging. "He's my friend."

"He's a traitor to the empire who murdered his entire clan," Sai insisted. "Captain Itachi was lucky to escape with his life. I fail to grasp how anyone can empathize and spill his own blood for the sake of such a man."

Naruto opened his mouth, looking as if he was about to launch into a detailed explanation of the truth about the infamous Uchiha Massacre – but then suddenly deflated, shaking his head slightly.

"It doesn't matter," he said simply, meeting Sai's confused gaze with a cerulean glare. "Sasuke is my friend. That's enough."

"But –"

"Your fifteen minutes is up!" Kakuzu's barked warning echoed down the deck. Sai looked torn for a moment before turning away, slipping the knife back into his scabbard.

"Perhaps I'll come back later," he told them, hurrying back towards the guard post around the corner and leaving the three prisoners staring after him, each wondering what the hell had just happened between them. "Good bye, Narito."

"Probably dropped on his head as a baby," Sakura diagnosed with all the seriousness of a professional medic as soon as his footsteps had faded away.

Sasuke merely snorted, leaning back coolly against his cell wall. "... ...Feh."

* * *

The ship rocked violently to the side, sending a heavy chest of spices sliding down the suddenly steep incline of the storeroom floor. Neji looked up from where he had been securing sacks of cornflour to the wall just in time to see Shino dart before him, bodily ramming the chest to the side before it crushed the Hyuuga.

"Thank you," he muttered, glancing out the window. The storm had descended upon them much quicker than anticipated and the rain beat down bitterly upon the thick glass, blurring their view of the blackening clouds looming above them. Sea spray stung the sides of the _Kyuubi _as they were rocked upon wave crests that steadily increased in height; the sky was fragmented into rivulets of blinding light every few seconds by flashes of lightning, the accompanying thunder drumming through the air with an intensity that seemed to weigh down the very ship.

_"Tenten! Get down here!" _

Both heads shot up at the alarmed cry from the top deck. The worry in Chouji's voice was evident even through the howling wind and Neji was up in an instant, sharing a grim look with Shino.

"I'll check on it," he told the Aburame tightly, sprinting out along the narrow corridors. The parrot, which had been cheerfully pecking away at scattered grain on the floor, abruptly leaped into the air with a low cry and circled once around the room, nearly clipping Shino with a silver tipped wing before heading after his adopted man, rushing past the Hyuuga and up onto the open deck in a blurred streak of grey feathers.

The main stairway was slick with rain when Neji splashed his way up, almost bowled over by the sheer violence of the weather when he emerged on deck. He grit his teeth at the sight of the tell tale black crusting the bowsprit at the front of the ship, the wood burned almost to cinders where it had evidently been grazed by lightning. His thick black ponytail was whipped to the side, rivulets of water cooling his face as he peered through the storm to see Chouji waving at him and pointing upwards.

Tenten had left the highest rigging for last; the sails around the foremast had already been pulled up and securely fastened. The pirate was currently clutching onto the thinnest length of wood rising precariously above the main mast, deftly rolling up the heavy fabric of the topsail. Neji frowned.

"Why are you still up there?" he called to her, struggling to be heard above the wind. She had begun shortening the sails a long while ago and an experienced sailor such as herself shouldn't have taken so long for such a relatively simple task.

"The damn thing got stuck!" she shouted back, tugging down hard on a thick knot of rope.

"Forget it," he instructed. "It's too dangerous!"

As if to mark his words another streak of lightning flared in the background, silhouetting her figure against a suddenly bright sky. Neji caught a glimpse of the woman, lithe and limber, fighting the weather to secure her precious ship.

Chouji let out a frustrated cry behind him. "I'm coming up to help you!" But he had moved barely moved an inch when an enormous wave suddenly exploded over the side of the ship, washing him across the deck and clinging onto the stairwell for dear life. _"Goddamn it!"_

Neji had barely escaped the wave by anchoring himself onto the thick coils of rope beside him. Rubbing the salt from his eyes, he looked up – froze – abruptly picked himself up and sprinted across the deck. "Tenten!" he yelled harshly. "Get down here!"

The mast was splintering.

A thin dark shadow was snaking up the strained wood, rippling towards the woman balanced precariously above them. And in the distant, another wave was rushing towards the ship, a vast wall of dark water and pale froth rising above them with terrifying speed. The _Kyuubi – _already damaged from the fight with Orochimaru – was being broken apart slowly by the sheer force of the raging sea.

"Done!" Her voice drifted down upon him, clear and triumphant. Tenten was still ignorant of the immense danger she was in, trying to get her soaked hair out of her eyes and hold on to the mast at the same time. Her thin shift was sticking wetly to her torso, thick boots slipping across drenched wood as she began the long descent down to the deck.

It was too late. Neji could already see that she would not be able to make it in time before the next wave struck; already the split in the mast was widening, made worse by the wind and the constant rocking of the ship.

"I'm coming," Tenten reassured them obliviously.

Barely a second later the wave crashed onto them, slamming against the mast and drowning the deck in freezing seawater. Neji cursed loudly as he was carried down side of the ship, colliding painfully against the banisters. Pale hands gripped tightly onto the wrought iron as the ship righted itself and he was pulled back on deck. A heart-rending _crack _– he stared up blindly at the mast, hoping against hope that it would stay up – for a brief moment Tenten was frozen to the spot and their gazes locked abruptly, his heart clenching at the shock and fear bleeding into her eyes. Everything seemed to freeze for one blinding second, and it was only until the burning in his chest became unbearable that Neji realized he was holding his breath.

The ship was wrenched to the side abruptly, every plank and nail shuddering against the waves - and then the mast finally tilted, crumbled, deep cracks manifesting themselves through the wood thirteen feet above the deck; the mast snapped with a bone jarring jolt, carrying Tenten along as the tip plunged sharply down into the troubled waters.

_"Tenten!" _

Ino had just emerged on deck, gazing in horror at the mast, now connected to the deck only by the remaining fiber that had not yet been snapped by its own weight and the tug and pull of the waves. Tenten was half submerged in the water at the other end of the mast, too far out to pull in by any available rope. She was struggling to clamber onto the wood but it was too slippery and the waves kept beating her down, drenching over her head over and over again.

Neji stared down the length of the collapsed mast, at the woman drowning right before his eyes at the other end, and swung himself onto the broken pole without another word.

"It's too dangerous," Ino hissed, half running, half slipping across the deck towards the side of the ship. Neji merely stared straight forwards, crouching down and pulling himself away from the relative safety of the ship, feeling the wood vibrate and shudder beneath him as he dangled a few dangerous feet from the surface of the water.

"Go back, you fool!" Tenten shouted at him, heaving herself up to glare at him above the waves. "What the hell do you think you're doing? _Go back!" _

"Not without you," he told her harshly, slipping forwards painfully when a wave crashed into him, soaking him to the bone and nearly dragging him away from his unsteady hold on the mast. Still he moved on, easing himself towards Tenten and further and further from the ship. She had managed to circle her arms around the tip and was now trying in vain to pull herself in, slipping back every few seconds by the force of a wave or the tremors of the slowly disintegrating ship.

"Hyuuga Neji, I did_ not_ save your sorry ass just so you could drown out here for my sake!" she yelled at him, furious and relieved and terrified all at once. He was barely four feet away from her now – she could see the grim determination in his face, the way his loosened hair spilled across his back in thick, inky streaks.

"Grab onto my hand," he ordered, reaching forwards and almost closing the distance between them. Tenten strained up out of the water, fingers grasping desperately at empty air – their fingertips brushed together lightly and she nearly cried with frustration but he was calling to her, urging her on – _"Tenten!" - _and so she took a deep breath, heaved forwards with all of her remaining strength and reached out with the blind faith that Neji would be there. Abruptly she felt a warm hand encasing her own in a strong, reassuring grip, pulling her steadily up and away from the unrelenting tug of the sea.

"We'll be alright," he told her firmly, dragging her closer so that they were both half sitting, half lying on the curved surface of the mast.

"You shouldn't have come." Tenten's voice was shaking but her hand was comfortingly warm in his and she leaned forwards, involuntarily clutching onto his shoulders because oh gods, she had been so close –

The mast buckled beneath them; they could hear Ino shout a muffled warning, could feel the strengthening vibrations running down the worn wood. It was only a matter of time before the meager connection between the broken pole and the ship snapped completely and they were fully stranded at sea.

"We need to get back." He pulled on her hand encouragingly. "Come on."

But the water in the distance was gradually swelling again and sure enough, the next build up of water was already approaching, far too fast to escape. Tenten paled.

"It's too close. We'll never get back in time."

"Then we'll just have to ride it out." But even Neji knew how futile the idea was.

"Neji, _why _did you –"

"It was my choice." He glared at her, as if daring her to challenge his decision one more time. Because the truth was that here, _here _was the freedom that Neji had been looking for his whole life.

Risking his life to protect Hinata and Hanabi had been expected from him as his familial duty to the Hyuuga. Serving under the Konohan Navy – exposing himself to the possibility of death at sea, to fight for the Empire, was his responsibility as part of the elite and nobility of the country. He had never had any say in the matter; his life had never been truly _his, _but the Hyuuga's, the Empire's.

But to lay down his life for a mere pirate lass, this strange, fierce woman who both confused him and demanded his respect – it was completely uncalled for. No one would blame him for letting her die; there was no debt to repay, no responsibility that tied him to her. And yet he refused to allow her to be taken away from him this way – sacrificed his own safety and now quite possibly his own life to safeguard hers – because he _wanted _to. To give her everything he could without being asked for it was his own choice.

His freedom.

Tenten sighed, tucking herself closer to his side and resting her forehead against his shoulder as they waited for the inevitable wave to bear down upon them. Her feet dangled in the current and she shivered; the water was cold, so cold. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry."

He raised an eyebrow, dry as ever even in the bitter rain. "I wasn't aware that you were responsible for the weather."

She shook her head; when she spoke her voice was muffled against his shirt. "I told you, I'm bad luck. I brought all this down on you guys. Gods, I hope the others will stay safe onboard."

"Tenten... ..." He pulled away from her slightly, looking down at her with an odd look in his face.

"I _knew _I shouldn't have taken you here – I've cursed everyone and now everyone's in danger and – and I'm just plain bad luck aren't I, from the moment I was born to when I die, which is probably very soon and –"

"_Tenten." _He shook her roughly and she was surprised at the anger in his voice. "This is not your fault."

"But I should have been a better leader," she glared up at him, and somehow he knew that the wetness on her cheek was not merely seawater. "I should have tried to find a way to escape the storm, prepared for it better. If only I had been quick enough, _strong_ enough, I could have spared everyone this."

_And yet somehow you are already the strongest woman I have ever met. _Neji felt something twist deep in his gut as he watched Tenten struggle with herself before him.

The water level suddenly dipped beneath them; the wave was nearing rapidly, pulling water in and building up higher and higher, rushing at them from barely half a league away.

"Don't be foolish." She froze when he suddenly reached up, brushing back soaked strands from her forehead. "You are not bad luck."

"No?" She bit her lip, eyes closing briefly and wondering why suddenly impending death didn't seem to matter half as much as the fact that she was sprawled here, by his side, with his fingertips brushing against her skin and his words crystal clear in her ear despite the cutting wind.

"Not at all." His hand lingered gently by her cheek for a moment before he let it fall back down. "In fact, I... ..." He hesitated slightly. "I consider myself very fortunate in having met you."

Her eyes widened when he leaned forwards, taking her hands. Mutely, she tangled her fingers through his in response.

"Hold on tight," he murmured, before the water came crashing down upon them and the world grew dark.

_Just hold on... ..._

And in the blackened sky high above them, a silvery bird circled slowly through the rain.


	19. Of Jellyfish and Dolphins

**Chapter 19: Of Jellyfish and Dolphins**

"Here boy, let go of her hand."

The voice came from above him, echoing down as if the speaker was far, far away. Neji tensed, back arching, wavering on the brink of consciousness and the blackness that had swallowed him whole.

"You're safe now, she's safe. No need to hold on that tight." A low, gravelly chuckle. He turned his face towards the voice carefully, as if he was sprawled on brittle, thin ice that just might shatter with one wrong move.

He felt stretched, bone weary, limbs heavy as lead. He tried to open his eyes but couldn't – didn't really want to either, because at last he was at rest and he remembered being cold, submerged in a vast expanse of darkness that had lashed at him, tossed him up and sucked him down until he grew numb. Neji recalled vaguely instances when he had emerged from that total deprivation of sensory perception: the sharp, mineral taste of blood on his tongue before salt washed it away; the violent tug of a current that circled and circled and pulled everything down down down to what he was sure could only be the graveyard of a sea-bed; the low rumble of thunder and an enormous tentacle, wet, pale flesh lifting him slowly out of the thrashing waves; and a hand that fit perfectly in his, cold and small and rough to the touch.

A hand that was _still _in his, judging by the faint pulse beneath his fingertips. His thumb fumbled across knuckles faintly ridged with scars and was rewarded by a weak squeeze in return.

"Tenten," he muttered thickly, and then the ice broke and he was falling once more into exhausted oblivion.

* * *

"Sasuke?"

"Hmm."

"I... ...I was wondering, about what Naruto said before... ..."

"Why are you whispering?"

"Keep your voice down! I don't want to wake him up. He needs to rest."

A snort. "Listen to the idiot snoring... ...why are your fingers in his hair?"

"_Be quiet! _I don't know, I guess it soothes him when I massage his temples like this, it's what my mother used to do for me... ...now stop glaring at me."

"Feh."

"Anyway. I was thinking about what Naruto said the day before yesterday, before Sai came in... ..."

"What about it?"

"The Uzumaki... ...they were the clan who ruled the Empire before we were born, weren't they? I mean, I've lived under Emperor Zabuza's reign ever since I was little, but a governess of mine...during a history lesson back at the Hyuuga court... ...Sasuke?"

"Hmm."

"Naruto... ...he's not just a common pirate lad, is he."

A lengthy pause. "If you're referring to his uncommon stupidity, you would be correct."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Sasuke. I never knew you could make jokes, albeit terribly awkward ones."

"Uchiha don't make jokes."

"Look, just tell me – is he, or isn't he?"

"Is he what?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Sasuke."

Silence.

"...I see."

"You don't understand."

"I understand enough. Stop looking so glum, Sasuke. Whoever he is... ...it's not important, not really. You're right, he's not really sorted in the head, but he's a good fellow. And I know you care about him, a lot."

"You know, you're just as annoying as that idiot."

"Which would be why you're jealous that I'm massaging _his _forehead, and not yours."

"... ...I am not jealous."

"I might believe that, if you hadn't been glaring at my hand since that third candlestick burned out. And that pout really does not become you at all."

"Look, just because I saved you –"

"From a fire that _you _started, if I may so remind you –"

"Whatever. My point is, don't start getting ideas into that pink little head of yours. There are more pressing matters at hand."

"Look, I know. But I was thinking... once we escape – and I know we will - or when Tenten and the others find us...once all this is over...I'd like to go back to Leaf Island and live with you people."

"I'm sure Naruto and the others will enjoy your company."

"Oh? And you won't?"

"I...I won't be there."

"Why not?"

"Feh. Why do you keep asking all these annoying questions?"

"Because I happen to like you. A l-lot."

A pause.

"Sasuke?"

"As I said earlier... ...you don't understand."

"I-"

"Look what happened to Naruto. Itachi is a danger to everyone."

"What has that got anything to do with the fact that I like you? I...I realize I'm being very forward, but I've never been very good at hiding my feelings – even back at the Hyuuga court, my governess used to scold me...but I've never r-really seen the point. So there."

"Listen, Sakura. The only thing I care about is how to kill my brother. To avenge my clan."

"That's not true! It's obvious you care about Naruto at least, as much as he cares about you and-"

"And look where it got him... ...you think too much, Sakura. Once I find a way to get us out of here, get everyone back to Leaf...I'm going to stay behind. To deal with Itachi."

"And afterwards? What if we decide to help you?"

"Feh. Look at the way you're flushing up. It clashes with your hair. Badly."

"And why do you care?"

"I don't. I don't care about you. As I said earlier, the only thing that's important – the only thing that _can _be important to me, right now - is killing Itachi."

"And what of it? I want to know, what if we decide to stay and help you fight him?"

"I won't let you."

"Why not?"

"Because you're annoying. I don't want to discuss this anymore."

"Sasuke!"

Silence. The fifth and final candle flickered weakly, throwing a last golden glow across the steel bars between them, and then – darkness.

* * *

He came to with the warmth of sun-parched wood at his back and blinding light dousing the world in a white, shimmering haze. The sky was spotless and wiped clean of grey. Neji inhaled deeply, dazedly tasting the salty edge of ocean air scoured by a storm, the faintly metallic tang of freshly caught fish and the familiar, heady stench of dried tar.

"Afternoon, Neji."

He sat up slowly and nearly groaned at the pain that immediately shot up his back; his muscles were still too taut from the struggle to stay afloat and his fair skin, normally hidden during the scorching noon hours under a long sleeved shirt, was exposed and reddening under the sun. Looking around, he saw that he was currently lying in the middle of a tiny, rickety fishing boat, a half-full net of fish gleaming by his feet. Tenten was leaning against the side with her fingers out and trailing in the water, the other hand fingering a dull red patch on her shirt.

"You're bleeding," he noted groggily, immediately pulling himself closer, but Tenten stopped him with a shake of her head, smiling softly.

"S'okay, it's been dealt with already. The wound re-opened – I'll definitely have a nasty scar there, at this rate - but Jiraiya here fixed it up for me just fine."

"Jiraiya?" Neji blinked slowly. "The parrot?" Fixing up a flesh wound? Clever bird.

"Actually, Jiraiya Silverbeard: writer, ex-pirate-turned-fisherman, and connoisseur of beautiful women_." _

Neji started, recognizing the voice from before, and turned to find an old man perched at the front of the boat, blowing enormous smoke rings from a crusty pipe and smiling at them with what he obviously thought to be a venerable expression. The Hyuuga examined his appearance dubiously, noting the thick, silvery hair knotted into dreadlocks that dangled to his collarbones, the fang tattoos that graced his cheeks, the many chunky, gold circlets bristling from his earlobes.

"Sir?" he began cautiously, "You... ...saved us?"

"Found the two of you barely hanging onto a few splinters." Jiraiya exhaled luxuriously and another smoky ring drifted through the air, half obscuring his face. "You're lucky I got to you in time. These areas are infested with sharks and worse...if I hadn't felt like having some tuna for my supper tonight... ..." He shrugged, before continuing musingly: "To tell you the truth, this all reminds me of my pirating days, when I drifted through the Straits for a week – nearly killed me, that storm, and turned my beautiful ship into scattered wood – but an enormous school of jellyfish took pity on me and led me all the way to a little rocky outcrop around here. Got picked up by 'Ruka after that. Lucky break, huh?"

"Jellyfish?"

"Aye." A nod, another smoke ring. "Jellyfish. Pink ones. Swam circles around me then headed straight for the nearest source of land. Good hearted creatures, Lord bless them."

Tenten chuckled. "That's a pretty tall tale."

"Women!" Jiraiya threw his hands up in mock resignation. "Always so petty and suspicious. Tsunade never believed a single thing I told her either, the silly old girl."

"Tsunade? You know Tsunade?" Neji croaked, and Jiraiya threw him a small bottle of rum from his breech pockets.

"Aye," he grunted. "Most infamous cleavage in history. We were lovers for a while – she was an absolute minx in bed, that one. Heh."

"You!" Suddenly Tenten sat up straighter, an incredulous grin slowly spreading across her face. "You're the one she always went on and on about! Whenever she got into one of her foul moods she'd mutter about some thieving, perverted, unsanitary old fling of hers who wrote porn and ridiculous adventure novels in his spare time. It's you, right? To think that of all the people who could have picked us up... ...I've wanted to meet you for a long time!"

"Unsanitary? Thieving?" Jiraiya looked wounded. "I'll have you know, lass, that I take a bath once a fortnight, whether I need one or not. And forgive me for thinking otherwise, but I've always assumed that being a pirate would entail a certain amount of theft." A disgruntled sniff. "And Lord knows we enjoyed much more than a _fling. _I suppose she's still angry about Dan, huh."

"Dan?"

"The parrot." He gestured towards the open sea. "Out there flying somewhere. It's how I got to you; he flew right through the storm and found his owner, the good old thing, then brought me to where you two were floatin' around. I lost him in a gamble a few weeks ago, to some filthy merchant types. Never thought I'd see him again. Though," And here his expression darkened even further, "Some filthy bilge-rat had tied his beak together with a bit o' string. Such cruelty, these days. Shameful."

Tenten frowned. "Tsunade's been angry at you for over a decade because of a _parrot?"_

"He was hers when it first hatched. She named it after a childhood crush of hers, or some early tryst, I don't know. But Dan stuck to me as if I was his pa, so I took care of him instead. Every respectable seaman needs a good bird. Dan's an old thing now, but-"

"Sir," Neji interrupted tiredly, head spinning from the heat, exhaustion, and this confusing talk of pink jellyfish and old flings and ancient parrots whose name turned out to be Dan and not Jiraiya. "Sir, where are you taking us now?"

"Back to 'Ruka's."

"Jiraiya told me earlier that he's a friend of Iruka's," Tenten explained, patting Neji's hand comfortingly. The Hyuuga immediately relaxed. "You remember me mentioning him back on the _Kyuubi_? He looks after the orphans and the newest recruits over at the Academy."

"I've been visiting him for a few weeks," Jiraiya confirmed. "Needed to lay low for a while after I ran into some trouble with the authorities... ...anyway, we should be back before sunset. Guess the storm blew you all the way out here, huh."

"Guess so," Tenten echoed, looking out into the distance and squinting against the sunlight, before murmuring in a small voice: "I hope the others are alright. Without the mainmast the _Kyuubi _could have tipped over, and it's not like they could have directed the ship in that kind of weather."

"Don't worry, lass." Jiraiya waved his hand expansively. "You were originally heading here in the first place, weren't you? Luckily for all of you the storm winds were blowin' in the right direction. Got you here in a much shorter time than it would have taken in fair weather. Your ship's probably in the region right now."

He was right.

A few hours later the sun was an arc of molten gold on the horizon, bloodying the sky like dying embers. Neji was helping Tenten apply fresh bandages to her wound when the first pair of dolphins appeared, sleek shadows that rippled beneath the waves before suddenly arching up and out through the air, glistening silver and pink in the fading light. They swam close by the fishing boat, nudging it gently to the left and right before Jiraiya stuck his head over the side and whistled shrilly.

"I've missed them," Tenten smiled wistfully, watching as nearly a dozen more of the nubile creatures appeared. "Aren't they the prettiest things?" she cooed softly, reaching out to gingerly brush calloused fingertips across a wet, grey fin.

Neji wondered with vague disgust why he suddenly felt jealous of said fin. Or the aquatic mammal to which it was attached.

"_These _are the so called 'sharks' that terrorized the Navy?" he asked distastefully, poking a blowhole. He jerked back violently when the dolphin's snout immediately appeared above the water, gaping wide open to reveal rows of sharp, gleaming ivory. The dolphin grinned widely at him before diving back down into the water, soaking the poor man with a deft flick of its tail.

"Gutted them," Jiraiya nodded, and Tenten giggled. Neji flushed embarrassedly and immediately turned away, trying to hide his reddening cheeks. (After all, men of his caliber did not blush. Ever.)

Half an hour later the coastline finally emerged from the distance, revealing dense forests that stretched seemingly endlessly towards the horizon. Jiraiya steered the boat expertly towards a shallow bay decorated by a pristine beach and the estuary of a small river, before lowering the sails and allowing the waves to carry them slowly towards shore. Pinpricks of light flickered like fireflies from the shadows and there were a few smaller ships anchored close by, drifting gently upon the incoming tide.

"What's that... ..._oh!" _Tenten gasped when she spotted a large, hulking silhouette sitting skeleton-like on one end of the beach, half collapsed upon the sand. The front of (what used to be) the ship was crushed, apparently by the impact of running aground. "Is that – is that my ship? Look, it's missing a mast, and there's a bit of red cloth – shiver me timbers, it's completely _wrecked _but how did it get here and Neji, do you see it? Oh, it hurts just to look at it...do you think the others are there?" Her fingers gripped the side of the boat until the knuckles drained white.

"Aye...they're here, all right. That your crew?" Jiraiya squinted, peering at the shore.

A small, blonde figure was sprinting out from the cover of the forest, careening into the water in a violent flurry of waving arms and legs.

"Ino?" Tenten stood up abruptly, waving back with equal enthusiasm. "Ino!"

Said blonde figure was now jumping up and down in obvious excitement; two other taller shadows were detaching themselves from the forest and ambling down the beach.

"_Tenten!" _

The pirate flipped off the side of the boat once they were in shallow water, rushing towards the shore without waiting for her companions. "Ino! Thank God you're safe, I was so worried –"

"Wait for me, Tenten... ..." Neji began lamely, hurrying after her but wincing at the discovery of multiple lacerations on his legs that now stung upon contact with the salty water. Ino was splashing out to meet them, followed by Shino and a pony-tailed stranger Neji did not recognize. Both Tenten and the blonde paused abruptly when they were within four feet of each other, standing waist-high in seawater and panting from exertion. For a long moment there was only the quiet lapping of water upon sand as the two women looked each other up and down - Neji glanced between the two of them nervously, wondering if this was a female thing – then suddenly all hell broke loose and they were crying loudly in each other's arms, sobbing and wailing in a flurry of teary cheeks and "Oh Lord, look at how haggard you are" 's.

The Hyuuga blinked, mildly alarmed. Sidling away discreetly, he decided to let them be and waded to shore alone, where he and Shino exchanged grave nods.

"Aburame." A firm shake of the hand.

"Hyuuga." A solid pat on the back (whereupon Neji barely managed to stop himself from coughing up excess seawater); the two of them favoured a more manly and composed manner of greeting, but it was understood that both were definitely very glad to see the other alive.

Jiraiya had come up behind them and now stalked up to the stranger.

"Look what I found, 'Ruka," he announced, elbowing the other man jovially. "Not quite what I had in mind for supper, but they'll do."

Suddenly Tenten's grubby, tear-streaked face peered out worriedly from Ino's tight hug to look searchingly around the beach. "Where's Chouji? Is he alright?"

"He's cooking," Iruka told her, smiling and rubbing lightly at the horizontal scar slashing across the bridge of his nose. "He hasn't left the kitchen after tasting what I made for supper last night. Said he's doing it for the sake of the kids." He shrugged ruefully.

"Your cooking still that bad, huh?" Tenten grinned, voice breaking slightly and rubbing fiercely at her eyes. "Let's go in, Ino. I want to see everyone."

* * *

The Academy turned out to be a large, low-lying mansion tucked carefully into a cleared part of the forest two miles from the shoreline, complete with a barricaded courtyard and a garden-turned-training-ground hidden from prying eyes by dense firs. At first glance the ivy-covered exterior gave the impression of an abandoned, derelict ruin; upon entering the enormous, iron-hinged front doors, however, Neji discovered an echoing hallway richly furnished with an exotic jumble of what were obviously spoils from countless pirate raids. Oil paintings with gilded frames hung from the walls next to ethnic tapestries from the Grass colonies; oriental ceramics of the purest bone white were clustered charmingly in the corners upon carved mahogany tabletops, stuffed with freshly picked wildflowers from the forest. The drawing rooms in the left wing had been converted into rather unconventional classrooms, with blackboards and chalk hanging next to a rack of decidedly deadly looking metal instruments and a beautifully illustrated map of the known world; in the right, various storerooms; the floor above was where Iruka and the young pirate recruits slept in their makeshift hammocks and the occasional featherbed (reserved as a treat for the more well-behaving students, naturally).

"Hey, you."

Despite there being a cavernous dining hall just next door, the shipwrecked pirates, along with Jiraiya, Iruka and the Academy recruits, had sat down in the smaller and more cosy kitchen for supper. After Neji and Tenten had been given a thorough wash and their wounds tended to, a beaming Chouji (healthy looking and cheerful as ever, despite a long scar that wound down his right forearm) had set out a veritable feast, though the attention of a certain pretty young thing was currently centered on something far more attractive than food. Barely sixteen and already flirtatious as a barmaid, with a shock of frizzy red hair, Moegi was eyeing the ex-Navy officer with barely concealed interest.

"Who are you, and what have you done with our Tenten?" the young recruit demanded coyly, gracing the poor man with a grubby-faced smile.

The brunette choked into her glass of water. "Moegi!"

"My name," Neji replied, putting down his fork and mustering as much dignity as possible, "Is Capt – er – just Neji. You can call me Neji," he told her lamely. "I have recently been accepted into Tenten's crew, and despite your insinuations I assure you that I have not made any dishonorable attempts towards her, as she will no doubt testify herself. None whatsoever."

_Yet, _mouthed Ino to Tenten, smirking when her friend immediately began to flush crimson.

"Porn," Dan contributed slyly, having flown in barely half an hour ago and was now perched comfortably on Jiraiya's wide shoulders.

Tenten coughed. "So," she began loudly. "Any news?"

It turned out that the _Kyuubi _had, as predicted by Jiraiya, been blown violently eastwards by the storm after the mainmast had been broken off. Luckily the other masts had remained relatively intact, and Shino had managed to harness the incredible wind to direct them to what was nevertheless a sickening crash into the bay.

"We got here yesterday noon," Ino told them through a mouthful of grilled tuna. "Spent the afternoon trawling for you in the nearby waters, but not even the dolphins could find a thing, and Iruka had set every single one of them out. So then I told Shino and Chouji to stay here while I spent the night in Konoha, with Moegi and Udon, just to find the latest news."

"I'm the best in the Academy for reconnaissance work," Moegi offered modestly, batting thick lashes at the Hyuuga. Udon, the gangly teen by her side, merely sniffed.

"We infiltrated most of the harbour inns and even some of the inner-city ones," he told Tenten seriously, arranging his eyepiece with impressive gravity. "Rumour has it that the Naval galley commanded by Captain Uchiha Itachi is going to arrive in Konoha by tomorrow afternoon, with both the Hyuuga heirs – who had been thought dead and drowned at sea - several newly captured pirates _and_," he set his elbows on the table and leaned forwards ominously, "Accompanied by a Sunagakurean Naval Patrol, headed by none other by the Suna Commander herself."

"Temari's with him?" Tenten frowned. "That can't be good."

"Any word on the prisoners held by the Uchiha?" Neji asked intently. Ino nodded.

"Apparently there had been some dispute between Itachi and Temari over who would be responsible for their incarceration, so it's obvious that Shikamaru and the others are involved," she reported tightly. "Good news is: they found Sasuke. Bad news is, Itachi has him. The Emperor himself has already sent a congratulatory message to be received by the Captain when his ship docks, for his re-arrest of the Uchiha clan murderer, along with various accomplices. Meaning Sakura, most likely."

Tenten leaned back into her chair heavily, rubbing at her temples in obvious frustration. "Where is he going to keep them?"

"Word is that Temari made Itachi promise the prisoners would be put in joint custody – probably so that she could keep an eye on them for us – meaning, an independent prison owned by a clan trusted by both parties, instead of the Naval one, which is practically run by Itachi anyway – with guards posted from Uchiha's and Suna men."

"Shame." Jiraiya shook his head. "Clan prisons are a lot harder to break in than the Naval one. Privately bought security and all."

"And has any clan offered their prison?" Tenten asked urgently, food all but left forgotten on her plate. She blinked when both Ino and Chouji turned their heads towards the far end of the table, where Shino had remained silent throughout the entire meal.

"Aye." He set down his knife and fork, patted his mouth politely with a napkin, and met Tenten's confused gaze with an unreadable expression on his face. "The Aburame."


	20. An Indecent Affair

**Chapter 20: An Indecent Affair**

There was a brief lull in the conversation at Shino's announcement.

_Aburame? His own clan? _Neji furrowed his brow, examining the pirate who, appearing unperturbed by the sudden quiet that had descended upon his comrades, gazed calmly down the length of the table. Ino glanced uneasily between him and Tenten; the latter merely looked surprised and thoughtful.

Moegi dabbed at her mouth daintily with a handkerchief and leaned sideways towards Neji, whispering discreetly: "They're his own folks, you know. At least, they _were_. Never told anyone why he left them years ago, though. Quite the mystery man."

"Well," Tenten spoke up lightly, breaking the awkward mood. "That makes it a lot easier for us to break in, then, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps." Shino leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms contemplatively. "It's been a very long time since I've been within the clan grounds, but I do know that they are very heavily guarded. It will be impossible to access the prisons from street level. Not that we need to, of course." At the others' inquiring looks, he explained patiently: "The Aburame, as you may be aware, are descended from a long line of – shall we say – alchemists. Not all of those who tinker with the elements in the clan, however, have the goal of producing gold; some choose to experiment not with mercury or iron, but with biological substances – insect poisons, saps, powdered bone, blood. Animal blood," he added, coughing. "... ...Usually. Anyway, this is frowned upon by the church, and – being people who tend to favor privacy– the Aburame hide most of their laboratories and storerooms below ground. Have you ever seen a dissection of an ant colony? No? It's an apt analogy for the Aburame residence: an enormous network of underground chambers and tunnels leading deeper and deeper into the earth. The buildings you see on the surface of the clan grounds," he told them, "Are barely a tenth of what is hidden below."

"Fantastic," Udon murmured breathlessly.

"I have never," Chouji muttered to Ino, sounding just as awed, "Heard this man speak more than three sentences at a time. He must have really liked my cooking."

Shino continued. "Of course, the underground residence is also guarded. I happen to know, however, that during the last civil war a secret escape route was constructed, leading from the second library – located in the chamber right next to the prison – to a surface opening hidden outside the clan grounds."

"A second library, eh," Iruka mused wistfully. "They must be impressively well-read, the Aburame."

"They are." Shino nodded. "But the library I refer to is a more a collection of records, rather than books. The clan, if you will remember, has been charged with scribing and archiving all the governmental affairs of the Empire since our grandfathers' days."

Tenten spoke up. "What about the other entrance? Where is it, then?"

"That's the problem: I don't know." Shino frowned. "When they turn twelve, all members of the clan are given a clue as to where the two entrances of the passage are. The Aburame," he offered with a faint smile, "Are rather... ...harsh, shall we say. They hold that if a clan member isn't intelligent enough to crack the clue, his survival - in case the residence is attacked – would not be terribly important anyway. I managed to find the entrance in the library when I was a child, but I...I left before I found time to follow the passage to the end."

"So what is this clue then, son?" Jiraiya asked kindly.

"To find the surface entrance?" He cleared his throat, then recited:

"_Meges, Phyleus' son, watched Amphiklos as he came on  
and was too quick with a stab at the base of the leg, where the muscle  
of a man grows thickest, so that on the spearhead the sinew  
was torn apart, and a mist of darkness closed over both eyes."_

"An extract from Homer's _Iliad," _he informed them once he had finished. His audience looked at him blankly.

"Epic poem from the ancient empire of Greece," offered Iruka. At Moegi's withering look, he rubbed his scar sheepishly and added by way of explanation: "I used to tutor some rich brats from the noble houses."

"So what does it mean?" Tenten wondered, frowning. "... ...and was too quick with a stab at the base of the what? Leg? With a spearhead?"

"Perhaps it's referring to the army barracks," Udon suggested gravely, adjusting his eye piece.

"What about the mist of darkness?"

"A cave, maybe?" Ino glanced at Chouji. "Know any caves near the Aburame residence?"

"What do you think, Shino?" Tenten leaned forwards and rested her chin on her hand. He shook his head.

"I'm no longer familiar with Konoha. I'm afraid I wouldn't recognize any landmark that might fit the clue."

"I know where it is."

Tenten started at the sudden announcement, turning towards Neji, who had remained silent for most of the meal. "You do?"

Neji was drumming his fingers on the table, looking decidedly dashing and focused as he repeated select phrases quietly to himself. "Where the muscle grows thickest...the spearhead... ...quite interesting. Yes, I'm fairly certain I know where the surface entrance is. But -" He glanced out through the kitchen window; it was now late in the evening and the remaining sunlight glossed weakly across the tree tops, emphasizing the darkening shadows beneath the foliage. "– It's too late now to do anything. We won't find it at this hour."

"Are you sure?" Tenten began dubiously, but Neji looked resolute.

"Positive. It'll take us quite a while to reach it from here and we'll never find it in the dark. I propose that we now retire for the night," he announced decisively, standing up from the table and unconsciously reverting back to the commanding tone he had used onboard his ship. "We leave at the break of dawn tomorrow, so I suggest all of you get enough rest."

"Aye, of course…..." Moegi looked like she was going to swoon, blushing crimson as she gazed up at the handsome ex-Captain.

"But Neji," Tenten tried again, confused, "Where is the entrance? How do you know-"

"Trust me," Neji cut her off gently. "It's hard to explain where it is, but we still have time. Itachi arrives tomorrow afternoon, and you... ...you need to rest." He eyed her recently re-patched wound meaningfully.

"Yes, Hyuuga wants you to _retire for the night," _Ino teased, somehow managing to switch from being deadly serious to a full blown giggly-young-thing-mode in the blink of an eye. _Together, _she mouthed none too discreetly, earning a distinctly approving chuckle from Jiraiya. Neji reddened, coughed, and turned away in a dignified manner.

"I'll get a hammock ready for you," Iruka intervened hastily, scraping back his chair and leading the grateful Hyuuga out of the kitchen. The others also began to drift out of the room slowly, yawning and handing the younger children their dirty cutlery.

"Shino." Tenten hurried after the man as he strolled past and he paused, glancing back at her from beneath the doorway.

"Yes?"

"I know this is probably quite difficult for you," she began gingerly, "What with...you know...you being an Aburame and all. I hope you don't feel like you're betraying your clan."

Shino shrugged, but did not meet her gaze and instead seemed to be staring past her shoulder as he answered. "Thank you for the concern, Tenten, but it has been years since I have truly considered myself an Aburame. For their sake," he added. "Though others still refer to me by that name, I would not wish to tarnish the reputation of the clan by openly associating it to a pirate such as myself." He paused. "So long as no lasting harm is done to the Aburame residence or its people, I can have no qualms about helping my comrades escape from prison."

Tenten nodded gratefully. "That's good to hear... ...thank you."

"You're welcome." He turned to leave, but she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, and Shino... ..."

"Yes?"

"How _did _you manage to navigate our ship all the way here through that bitch of a storm? And without a mainmast, too. It must have been difficult enough steering in that weather and yet you managed to direct the ship in the right direction, as well... ..."

"Oh, that." He shrugged dismissively. "I had some help finding my way."

"Help? From what?"

"Jellyfish. Of a small pink variety." And with that, he bid her goodnight and made his way up nonchalantly to the sleeping quarters, leaving Tenten staring after him with an amused, albeit surprised, smile on her face.

* * *

Daybreak the next morning found the crew assembled before the mansion, fresh faced and alerted despite it still being quite dark. A warm blush was beginning to stain outwards and across the cold blue of the sky, drowning out the hard white light of the remaining stars and creating inky silhouettes of the tall firs that surrounded the clearing.

Tenten adjusted the hood of her cloak, making sure the thick material covered every wisp of her chestnut tresses. "Let's go, everyone."

They set off through a rough, well concealed track that curled and wound its way through the forest towards suburban Konoha, now following the gentle arc of the coastline, now delving deep into the centuries old pines and firs. To avoid suspicion on arrival upon the town, they had separated into two, smaller groups: the first, guided by Ino, consisted of Tenten, Shino, Neji and Jiraiya. (Dan had been left behind, to avoid unwanted attention due to any unexpected, perverted remarks.) Moegi, who had volunteered to join their little expedition, led the others a few minutes behind.

Only the shop keepers and the fishermen were awake and bustling about when they made their way out of the forest and into the poorer district by the harbour. Their boots clattering softly across damp, moss covered cobblestones, they hurried through the middle of the streets, in full view of the civilians as would befit travelers with nothing to hide, yet keeping their faces (and tattoos, in some cases,) concealed safely within the shadows of their cloaks. Pirates were not unknown in the district – especially with its many disreputable inns and brothels – but they could not afford to waste time in petty brawls and Neji's pale gaze, which could be recognized in the remotest corner of the Empire, would have caused an unnecessary stir.

The two groups re-assembled outside a small, dilapidated inn at the end of a particularly shabby street, pretending to be discussing the merits of the establishment and its small restaurant open for breakfast.

"The entrance should be near the shore, at the other side of the harbour," Neji told them quietly, "But the fastest path would take us right through the commercial district."

"Too open." Ino shook her head, and he inclined his head in agreement.

"The patrols are concentrated near the quay. We'll have to take the backstreets and make a wide arc to keep away from them. Once you get to the river, follow it back down to the coastline, and then head east," he instructed Moegi. "If we don't find it we'll stay along the shore until you catch up with us."

"Aye." She grinned up at him cheekily. "Would you like a good luck kiss?"

"That would be rather unnecessary, I believe," he declined stiffly, feeling inexplicably put out at Tenten's muffled laughter.

Half an hour later Neji's group had reached the mouth of the river that swept through the easterly quarter of Konoha. From there on they hurried along the coastline, watching the glittering sea reflect first bronze, and then a pale gold as the sun climbed further up the sky. A small fishing village that spread thinly along the shore petered out after a short while, until they were picking their way through a barely-there track that disappeared now and then into pristine, shallow beaches and rocky outcrops that jutted out from the forest.

At one such outcrop the coastline abruptly twisted inwards, creating an almost right angled corner of rock that protruded into the sea. A thick tangle of mangroves descending into the frothy waves prevented the travelers from seeing what lay ahead.

"They're too far behind," Ino panted, who, along with Shino, was helping Jiraiya (grumbling about an old wound that hampered movement in the left side of his hip) clamber up a particularly slippery boulder.

Tenten squinted, peering down the length of coastline they had just traveled. "I can't see them anywhere, Neji. Perhaps we should slow down a bit and let them catch up. There's no one around here to see us now, anyway."

Neji took from his pocket a large watch, suspended from a heavy gold chain, that he had picked up back at the Academy. Glancing from the time piece to the steadily brightening sky, he frowned. "We need to hurry on."

"But they might have gotten lost," Ino argued. "I should go back and look for them, make sure they're alright."

Tenten glanced at Neji's tight expression, then at Jiraiya's tired pout, and sighed. "We'll compromise," she ordered. "Ino, you go back and find the other group. You two stay here; Neji and I will go ahead and have a quick look around ourselves. If we don't find anything we'll come back here, savvy?"

Ten minutes later Tenten found herself stumbling over a pebbly beach with only a few seagulls and the Hyuuga for company. The latter seemed to be utterly preoccupied; he kept stopping without warning and examining their surroundings before continuing forwards determinedly, with such a look of confidence in his navigation that Tenten did not feel authorized to question him. The coastline continued to twist and turn at short, abrupt intervals and the scenery, it seemed to her, was repeating itself until she wasn't quite sure how far they had actually traveled. (Fortunately, she was saved from the boredom attributed to the sheer monotony of their surroundings by the fact that she had a very agreeable view of the Hyuuga as she trudged after him, eyeing with undeniable admiration the broad set of his shoulders, that firm, confident stride, that decidedly attractive rear... ...)

Blushing, and wondering whether she had spent far too long listening to Ino, she was just about to suggest that they turn around and return to find Shino and Jiraiya when Neji, a few feet ahead, suddenly stopped short and peered to the left, through a cluster of short, slender trees.

"We're there."

Her head shot up and she immediately hurried forwards, following him wordlessly through the foliage.

... ..._Oh._

Her eyes widened; they had come upon a shallow bay much like the one where the Academy docked their ships, except this beach was sliced in two by the estuary of a medium sized stream that no doubt split from the river a few miles up north. The tide was slowly receding; thick layers of limestone emerged from the coarse sand in its wake, gleaming wetly and – to Tenten's surprise – riddled with holes and caverns of various shapes and sizes that appeared to have eroded and tunneled inland.

What caught her attention at once, however, was something definitely man-made: a huge, looming wreck of a ship, a design she rarely saw these days within Konohan waters. It had speared directly up and into the middle of the estuary, diverting the water neatly in two. Long and thin, it had half collapsed in on itself in a mess of decayed wood – she guessed it had lain rotting for at least a decade – but the faded insignia imprinted onto the torn rag that was left of a sail was instantly recognizable.

"It's from the Han Kingdom," she said, so calmly she surprised even herself. The country her parents had come from, that _she _had come from, long since ruptured and fragmented due to civil strife. This ship had no doubt carried dozens of Han refugees into Konohan territories, hoping for a friendly reception. Tenten gazed coldly at a gaping hole at the side of the ship that had evidently been caused by a canon ball.

"They arrived at a bad time," she explained quietly, seemingly more to herself than to Neji. "The current Emperor had only ascended to the throne a few years earlier – having robbed it from his predecessors– and wanted nothing to do with the poor, helpless foreigners who did not speak their language and whose alliance was worthless in his eyes." When she turned to Neji her face was carefully blank but her eyes betrayed a lingering sadness, a dull ache that seemed to reverberate from within. "That's what Genma and Shizune told me, at least."

Neji stepped closer but did not say anything in reply, merely watching her silently as she swallowed, pulled herself together, and spoke again.

"How did you know of this place?"

He gestured towards the forest. "We're quite close to ancestral Hyuuga lands. My father used to bring me here as a child."

She glanced at him curiously. "What for?"

"To pick mussels." He smiled faintly. "That's how I understood the clue."

"Mussels... ...?" Tenten repeated, confused, before re-examining the bay before her. Almost instantly she felt giddy with the realization that, due to her having been completely preoccupied with the wreck, she had disregarded as part of the limestone the hundreds upon hundreds of small, grey shells that were scattered unassumingly upon the sea bed, beginning from the estuary to the murkier waters of the outer bay, crusting the lower reaches of the wreck and bristling atop the various rocks that littered the beach. They were common enough all along the coastline but here the mussels appeared in an unusually high concentration.

"_Where the muscle...grows thickest," _she recited softly. "Muscle.. ...mussel... ...it's just word play, isn't it, Neji?"

"And if we take the estuary to be the 'base' of the river 'leg' that is this stream here," Neji explained, pointing to where the sharp tip of the wreck effectively diverted the flow of the fresh water into two separate strands, "_.. ...on the spearhead the sinew was torn apart."_

Tenten nodded with mounting enthusiasm. "And what about the _mist of darkness closed over both eyes?"_

"These caves within the limestone only appear at certain times, depending on the receding and return of the tide." Neji began walking towards the wreck and she stayed by his side, never taking her eyes off the holes that riddled the various layers of rock and wondering which of them led to the Aburame residence. "At night, I assume, the high tide would flood over the entire bay and hide the entrance. Meaning," he turned to her seriously, "That if we use the passage at night we'd have to time ourselves carefully, in case we end up blocked by the rising water."

By now they had reached the left bank of the estuary. The two of them looked down, and there, a few feet below them on a thick strip of lime stone, was a large, oval shaped hole, the entrance of which gaped wide open save for a thick pillar of rock in the center that connected the ceiling and floor and, when viewed from afar, gave the opening the impression of being a pair of enormous, empty eyes.

"We've found it," Neji said simply.

"Aye." Tenten stood staring at the cavern for a long moment, before suddenly whirling around and tightly hugging the pleasantly surprised young man. "Thank goodness," she murmured thickly into his shirt, "We'll get Sasuke and the others out safely now, won't we?"

Neji stiffened at her mention of the Uchiha and was about to pull away when suddenly, without waiting for his reply, she leaned up on tip toe, placed her hands gingerly on his shoulders, and pressed her lips sweetly to his cheek. For a shocked moment he was frozen to the spot, feeling only her light, hot breaths on his skin; and then, quite naturally, he turned his face and kissed her full on the mouth, instinctively circling his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Tenten purred approvingly, tracing her fingers down his chest and eliciting a shiver from the stoic Hyuuga.

"This... ...this is highly improper," he informed her rather breathlessly when they broke off, tracing light kisses down her exposed throat.

"Shocking," she agreed, slipping her arms around his neck and pressing herself closer against his chest. He bit back a low groan, running his fingertips down the gentle dip of her back.

"We should stop before it gets too indecent," he muttered, before kissing her again on the lips, hard.

"Mmm-hmm." She slipped a knee in between his legs and he shuddered involuntarily.

"Tenten," he attempted in a strained voice, "You-"

A polite cough.

"Well... ...excuse us for interrupting your uh, pleasant time together, but... ..."

They sprang apart immediately, he shoving his hands deep into his pockets and she lifting hers to her mouth, as if to hide the bruised, deep red of her newly kissed lips.

"Ino?" Tenten whirled around, mortified and blushing furiously at the blonde's positively gleeful tone.

"No, no, I say let them finish the job properly. Don't mind us now, you two," Jiraiya urged them quite cheerfully.

Ino, it appeared, had managed to find the other group, and now the entire crew plus a rather disappointed looking Moegi was perched atop the nearby boulders, watching the pair with blatant interest. Even Shino was trying and failing to hide a small smile.

"We – uh – we... ." Tenten began, stuttering. "We... ..."

"We found the entrance," Neji spoke up firmly, though Tenten noticed with secret satisfaction that he still looked rather dazed. Within minutes he had directed the others' attentions to the cavern near the estuary (though unaware that they only refrained from making any further comments out of sheer humanity, seeing their supremely embarrassed expressions.)

"So," Chouji said later, "What's the plan?"

They had entered the cavern to inspect the entrance, but only managed to venture a few metres into the passageway due to the fact that they only had one lantern between them. The cavern was wet, dank, covered in a slick green moss and dripping with sea water. From what they could make out, it climbed upwards quite steeply, meaning that only the very front of the passageway would be flooded during high tide.

"It shouldn't take too much time to get to the Aburame residence from here," Shino remarked thoughtfully. "My guess would be around one hour, perhaps a little longer."

"Itachi arrives this afternoon," Ino reminded them, examining with interest several carvings of enormous scorpions on the wall, faintly visible in the moist darkness. "Shikamaru and the others would be transferred directly to the Aburame prison, most probably, since Temari and the Uchiha are still fighting over their custody... ...think we can get in and out before tonight?"

Tenten shook her head slowly. "Too risky. Itachi might be able to detain them for a while, you never know... ...and if we don't get them out in time we'd be trapped by the tide and they'll have the whole night to find us here."

"And even if we make it in time, are we just going to run all the way back to the Academy from here?" Chouji looked doubtful. "We'll probably need to split up, some to rescue the prisoners and the others to prepare an escape route."

"We'll leave by ship," Tenten decided grimly. "We need to get Sasuke away from Itachi as soon as possible... ...I don't want to endanger the Academy by leading the authorities anywhere near the area, and Leaf Island is still the safest place there is for us so we'll head straight out to sea. I'll ask Iruka to anchor a ship out in the bay there and disguise it as a fishing vessel or some sort." She paused contemplatively. "I propose we get in here this evening, just before the tide blocks the opening. That way we'll have enough time to make other plans if the situation changes. It means, however, that we'll have to rest in here for the night, and then rescue the others in the early morning. If we time it right we should be back at the opening by the time the tide has receded again. Meanwhile... ..." She turned to Chouji. "You will stay outside with Ino to prepare a rowing boat, anything, to get us out to the ship. The quicker we do this, the bigger lead we'll have when the Navy gives chase."

Chouji saluted her cheerfully. "Aye, Captain. That we'll do."

"We need to get in contact with Commander Temari as soon as they dock, to inform her of our plans and to tell her to preoccupy Itachi as long as possible," Neji pointed out. "Can we get a note to the Sunagakurean embassy by this afternoon?"

"I can, easily." Moegi grinned at him winningly.

"Good." Tenten nodded, satisfied. "Everything sorted out?"

"Aye." Ino crossed her arms and flashed her a bright smile.

"Let's get back to the Academy, then. We've got a lot of work to do," she ordered, and her crew began to climb back out into the sunlight with a renewed confidence and assurance from the firm tone of their captain, innocently unaware that the infectious, cheerful tinge to her voice was due to a certain Hyuuga's having sidled closer in the cover of the dark and tangled his fingers with hers.


	21. Youthful Vigour

It's been a while since I've updated this, hasn't it? I meant to get through a bit of Neji!crack and end the chapter with some glorious Angst that I've been longing to attack you all with, but Hinata got too fun to tease and hence I barely began even the crack...oh well. Next update won't be too far away. :)

* * *

**Chapter 21: Youthful Vigour**

_"Watch it! For the love of god, are you _trying _to hack my trousers into shreds? You're already doing a remarkably good job with my shirt sleeve, see, it looks positively fashionable now."_

_"Well, if you'd shown me properly how to use the damn thing I would've been able to aim better!"_

_"Oh I'm sorry; it's just that I've never had to teach obnoxious young women before."_

_"Why, you –"_

_What a beautiful day, _Hinata thought morosely, staring out at the vast expanse of water glittering palely beneath the morning light. The _Sabaku _and _Sharingan _had managed to avoid the worst of the storm that had briefly blocked the path towards Konoha, skirting carefully along its outer edges amidst light wind and the occasional flash of lightening. By the next day the clouds had drifted apart to reveal a sky scoured clean and scrubbed into a sharp, hard blue. The air still tasted of rain. Commander Temari had told her the night before that they were due to arrive in Konoha by late afternoon, and already they had passed a few of the outerlying islands that belonged to the empire, too small and barren to be inhabited and freckled only with seabirds.

_"Augh! What was _that _for?"_

_"That, you imbecilic muffin of a bastard, was divine retribution for the bruises you gave me when you tried to lock me away while Orochimaru attacked."_

_"Well, excuse me for trying to protect you, O Most Gracious Princess…….hey, hey, what do you think you're doing? Ahhhhhhhh!"_

Hinata winced, leaning lightly over the side of the ship and staring down at her blurred shadow as it rippled across the water. The Sunagakurean soldiers stationed around the top deck looked nervously at each other and then towards the stairways, from where most piteous cries of pain were issuing with alarming volume and frequency. Kiba and Hanabi had been arguing almost incessantly since they had returned to Commander Temari's ship, the latter having guilt tripped the poor man into providing basic sword fighting lessons in what had been a conference room immediately below deck. It appeared, however, that that most of the sparring – and definitely the most intense form of it – was verbal in nature. Hanabi had childishly mistaken all her guilt and worrying about Sakura for anger and had proceeded to direct it all towards the unfortunate Inuzuka, most probably because he had somehow managed to frustrate and infuriate her since the very beginning anyway.

_"You ungrateful brute, I saved your scrawny ass too when Neji's ship was burning and you were out cold like some preserved vegetable by the cellar!" _

_Such language_, Hinata thought sadly, too preoccupied to be truly scandalized. It was rather disturbing how quickly (and enthusiastically) her sister had managed to pick up the uncouth language of their pirate companions (although she had managed to put her own personal spin on the orthodox insults. _Preserved vegetable? _Hinata shook her head reprovingly).

"Lady Hinata."

She turned around to see Gaara strolling casually towards her, dressed already in full military regalia for their landing in the Konohan port. His hair was tousled by the wind, boyish red curls falling into his eyes and contrasting sharply with his unnaturally pale skin. Medallions gleamed against the dark Prussian blue of his uniform and a scabbard was slung about his waist, the hilt of the blade inlaid with Sunagakurean insignia.

"Colonel." Instinctively she dropped into a polite curtsy but he stayed her with a hand on her arm.

"No need for that," he told her calmly. "How are you?"

"I'm……well enough," she told the floorboards shyly.

He nodded. "I am glad." He turned to gaze out at the ocean, hand resting casually on his sword. "The Lieutenant seems to be having quite a rough time with your sister."

"Yes…..I'm afraid Hanabi is bullying poor Kiba again."

_"Damn it, you've really gotten my sleeve off now!"_

_"It's an ugly shirt anyway."_

_"It's my _only _shirt!" _ A mournful wail.

_"You look better sleeveless anyway. Your arms are quite well built." _

_"….Say that again?" _

_"….I – I said, your trousers are quite well built, you insufferable pox-faced fool, so you don't have to worry about me damaging them!"_

_"Oh? I'm sure you'll find a way to somehow, you've _certainly _proved to be exceptionally talented at _INDISCRIMINATE DESTRUCTION!"

_"Is that so? EAT THIS!"_

"She has quite a strong character," Gaara noted dryly, raising a non-existent eyebrow when much panicked banging and clanging issued from the room below them.

"That's what everyone says back home," she replied, laughing despite herself, "It's why they want her to head the clan."

Awkward silence. (Discounting, of course, the ruckus below deck). Hinata blinked, mouth opening slightly in horror and embarrassment at what she had blurted out without thinking.

"Lady Hinata." Gaara glanced at the reddening Hyuuga before turning away politely to let her spontaneously combust in peace. "I've heard unfortunate news that your father….is unwell?"

"Very," she told him uncomfortably. The colonel was putting it very mildly. Hyuuga Hiashi was on his death bed; it had been the main reason why she had been rushed off to be an "ambassador" in Sunagakure, leaving the Elders free to offer Hanabi the role of clan head.

"And – forgive me if I am being rude – you are his designated heir?"

"Yes, well." Hinata sighed, looking up at him tiredly. She might as well be frank; he would know soon enough, anyway. "I am, but the Elders have made it quite clear that they prefer my sister. She is the stronger one, after all."

"Is that so," he replied musingly. A pause. "Naruto told me that you had saved him during Orochimaru's attack on the _Kyuubi." _

She blinked. "R-really? Naruto said that?"

"He mentioned a most ingeniously aimed punch."

"That - that was not – " She flushed again, staring at her hands. "I – I was –" _Not aiming for him. _

"Whatever the case," he interrupted her smoothly, "he was extremely impressed. And he said you were very brave."

"Did he...?" Her eyes widened at the thought. She looked up. "Do you know Naruto well, Colonel?"

Gaara nodded. "He is a good friend of mine. Naruto...helped me greatly a long time ago. My siblings and I were introduced to Tenten's crew through him afterwards."

"I see." She smiled gently, a soft curving of the lips.

She didn't quite know what to think of the colonel. Of course she had heard the rumours that had made the rounds within upper court circles back home, the scandal that had marred his reputation so many years ago; briefly she thought back to Captain Itachi's subtle jibe that day at that horrible cacophony of shipwrecks where they had found Sakura, Sasuke and Sir Lee. Even Commander Temari had been affected enough by his reminder of the stain on her family to allow Itachi to keep Sasuke in his custody. Looking at him, it was difficult to believe that he had really murdered his own uncle – even if in self-defence – when he had apparently tried to attack Gaara as a young boy for having killed his mother, his uncle's beloved little sister, during childbirth.

And yet so far Gaara hadn't seemed quite as monstrous as the other noblewoman had painted him out to be; there was none of the supposed madness in his eyes that they had twittered over, nor any unrestrained, frenzied bursts of temper. Far from it: he had treated her till now with respectable, if distant, civility, sometimes even surprising her with occasional displays of kindness. And he was obviously very good friends with Naruto. That, she admitted to herself, was enough to put him in her good graces.

"Lady Hinata?" He had turned back to face her, leaning against the banister with a serious expression on his face. Hinata tilted her head questioningly.

"Yes?"

"It is presumptuous to remind you that whoever ends up as clan head of the Hyuuga will be in an extremely influential position within Konohan society." He regarded her steadily. "However…..before you make any decisions – or before you allow other people to make decisions _for _you - I will still urge you to consider all that will be within your power if you succeed your father. Please think of what you could do for those who are important to you and what your succession can mean for them."

"What I can do for them……?" she echoed.

"Yes. Lady Hinata -" He paused reflectively. Then, with succinct finality: "Lady Hinata……….Naruto is an Uzumaki."

"He is – _what?" _Her eyes widened dramatically, mouth falling open in a most unladylike manner. "He's – Naruto? Uzumaki?" Unlike Sakura, who could only rely on court gossip and vague history lessons from her governess to learn of the previous emperors of the Konohan Empire, Hinata – as, at the time, designated heir and intended future political leader - had at an early age already been taught fully by Hyuuga Hiashi of the bloodshed and betrayal that had tainted their current emperor's ascent to power. Namikaze Minato, who had married the princess Uzumaki Kushina and taken her name, had been a good emperor – one of the best in the history of the empire, as she was sometimes told when the Elders or her father felt more nostalgic. But he had made the mistake of trusting Momochi Zabuza, then head of the Konohan military, and during the rebellion the entire main family had reportedly been massacred. The Uzumaki name was instantly recognizable, and to have it connected to Naruto………. "Are you certain, Colonel?"

Gaara nodded. "Naruto told me of this himself, and….." His eyes shifted away briefly. "….My country may have gathered intelligence about the Konohan empire at some point in the past. Anyhow, the gist of the matter is that not only is he of the clan, he is in fact the only son and legal heir of the last emperor of the Uzumaki dynasty. While most of the main family was killed during the rebellion, Momochi Zabuza allowed Naruto to be spared. It might have been that he reminded Momochi of his own three year old nephew, Haku; we really can't be sure why else, as he must have known it was a bad move politically." His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. "In any case Naruto was locked away for most of his early childhood. Momochi went to great lengths to keep his existence from public knowledge and he was kept in various prisons owned by clans loyal to the new emperor. When he was around twelve, however, he was moved to the Aburame clan prison, and that was when he managed to escape and meet Umino Iruka, one of the pirates from Leaf. You can probably guess what happened from there."

His next words were heavy with meaning. "I am sure my lady has heard rumours of the pending war. The Uzumaki survivors have found allies in the Mist Federation and it is only a matter of time before they attack. Emperor Zabazu's reign is in danger. If the Uzumaki were also to find powerful allies _within _Konoha who will support the rightful heir's repossession of the throne………."

The enormity of what he was asking her suddenly hit Hinata so hard she felt herself sway a little on her feet. The revelation of Naruto's real identity was dizzying enough; now she was being encouraged to help _overthrow_ the current emperor? Gaara made a move to steady her but she shook her head tersely, grasping onto the banisters instead and forcing herself to keep her back straight. "I……I will think carefully about what you have said, Colonel."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Do you want to help Naruto, Lady Hinata?"

"Yes," she replied unthinkingly. "Of course." She knew she genuinely cared about Naruto, whether he was a pirate lad or rightful heir to the entire Konohan empire. And yet……she had always been so weak, so frightened, so incompetent. It seemed to her impossible that a meek, bullied little woman like her could ever find the strength to lead a clan like the Hyuuga, let alone enter the arena of civil war.

To her surprise Gaara offered her a faint smile. "Then I think that will be enough."

"Do you." She sighed glumly.

"You are Hyuuga Hinata." His tone was confident, steady. "It will be enough."

She didn't know quite what to say to that and so she decided to blush (again), dipping her head shyly to continue her previous conversation with the floorboards. "….Thank you."

He bowed slightly in response. When he straightened his entire frame had visibly relaxed as the momentary gravity of the situation dispelled and he eased back into his customary quiet detachedness. Suddenly Hinata started, turning to peer at the stairways with mild alarm.

"They're…being unusually quiet, aren't they?" The commotion downstairs had subsided dramatically in the past few minutes.

"Quite worrying," Gaara agreed blandly.

"Oh dear……..if you'll excuse me, I think I should check on them," she said, curtsying again, "just in case Hanabi did something really, _really_ bad to Lieutenant Kiba."

"Your sister is still very young – barely seventeen, if I am correct." He looked down at her expressionlessly. "Leading a clan takes maturity beyond her years, Lady Hinata, not merely strength. And even then, concerning the latter…..I believe Naruto to be a very good judge of character."

"I……thank you, Colonel." She exhaled shortly, almost laughing in a strange mix of cautious happiness and trepidation. "You are very kind."

He nodded and she left him by the banisters, smiling uncertainly at the man before disappearing down the stairs.

It was much cooler below deck, Commander Temari's ship having been built for the stifling heat of Sunagakurean waters. The corridors were kept in a state of half darkness, lit only by army issue lanterns and the odd ceiling hatch filtering diagonal shafts of light into the shadows. Furnishings were sparse, efficient and unembellished, reflecting the coarser, almost nomadic lifestyles of her hosts. She trailed her fingers broodingly against the wooden panelling of the walls as she hurried down, gathering a thin coating of dust on her fingertips.

_"So it really comes down to this, huh." _

Hinata paused at the sound of Temari's voice wafting out through a door. It came from the closest cabin opening to her right. Hanabi and Kiba were in the conference room at the very end of the corridor. She shook her head slightly; it really wasn't proper to eavesdrop. She made to move on.

_"You're an idiot, Shikamaru. You – you better know what you're going to be missing out on."_ A short, forced laugh_. "Well. I guess I knew all along it'd end like this for me. I just hoped –"_ She broke off, voice quavering and lilting up.

_"Temari, don't be so troublesome…….."_

_"I'm not being troublesome. I understand. It hurts like a bitch, Shika, but I really do understand."_

Suddenly Temari burst out of the room, running a hand tiredly through her hair and looking uncharacteristically resigned. Hinata nearly walked right into the woman, jerking back only at the last moment to avoid sending the both of them tumbling to the floor.

"I'm so sorry, Commander, I –" She broke off, blinking at Temari's preoccupied expression. "Commander? Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Temari waved her off impatiently, looking away. "I just need some fresh air. Have you seen my brother? The saner one."

"Well….." Hinata gravely pondered whether Kankurou or Gaara could be considered the saner of her siblings. It was a difficult question.

"Oh, right. I forgot." She flashed the Hyuuga a strained smile. "Gaara, I meant."

"Ah. He's on the top deck."

"They've gone all quiet, haven't they?" Temari jabbed her thumb towards the conference room as she strode past Hinata. "Better check up on them to see what's left of your Lieutenant."

When Hinata passed the open doorway she glanced shyly into the cabin. Shikamaru was leaning against the window, staring glumly out at the ocean, spiky hair silhouetted by the sunlight. He fumbled with a cigar between his fingers, lighting it carelessly and taking a long drag before coughing loudly and grimacing. "Troublesome women. Tch!"

She fingered the bottom of her shirt thoughtfully, watching Shikamaru from the shadows before glancing back at the retreating figure of Temari. The woman's back was unnaturally straight, her gait forcedly purposeful. Hinata's gaze softened.

"I know you're there, Hinata," Shikamaru suddenly sighed, not looking away from the window. He tapped his cigar against the tinted glass, letting ash crumble to the floor. "It's alright. You don't have to worry about us."

"Ah, I'm sorry….I hadn't meant to…." She bowed her head and stole quietly away.

There still had been no new screams of pain or fury by the time she reached the conference room. Hinata bit her lip, listening intently for sparring, conversation or basic signs of life. Nothing. She rapped lightly on the door. "Hanabi? Lieutenant? Are you two all right?"

No reply, save for the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. The clang of steel hitting wood reverberated dully into the corridor. Hinata was truly worried now; what if they had both knocked each other out? Slit each other's throats? Gagged and bound each other to the table legs? Heart pounding, she threw the door open and rushed into the room frantically. "Hanabi! What have you done? What's going – oh!" She stumbled to a halt, freezing at the sight before her. It did involve the table, but not quite in the way she had previously imagined. "Oh. Oh. _Oh my." _Hinata balked, then flushed a vibrant shade of beetroot, clapping her hands to her burning cheeks. "I – I'm so sorry, please don't mind me and continue with - whatever you were doing – well – it's not like you've stopped anyway, I mean – never mind, I'll be leaving now!" Mortified, she backed out into the corridor, falling heavily against the opposite wall.

"Lady Hinata!"

She turned to her left at the exuberant cry. Sir Lee and the pirate clone he had found on Orochimaru's ship – Gai, was it? - had been sprinting up and down the stairs since daybreak, forced to exercise below deck so as not to make Itachi suspicious. Their faces were flushed with youthful vitality as they rounded the corner towards her, wiping the sweat from their brows with identical, disturbingly tight green shirts they had managed to dig up somewhere.

"Ah….Sir Lee, Sir Gai," she greeted them with a strained expression. She had been very glad to see Lee alive and relatively safe and sound, having previously thought that the soldier had drowned with the _Konohan Maiden, _but right now she was not quite in the right frame of mind to deal with his very special brand of energetic living. (Especially not now when it was replicated to an even more spectacular degree by his new friend.)

"Why are you looking so fiercely red, my fair orchid of the seas?" Gai peered at her kindly when they came to a stop beside her, bushy eyebrows looming towards her face.

"I…it is nothing…." _Don't look into the room, don't look into the room, don't look into the room……_

"Lady Hinata?" Lee frowned. "You look terribly unwell! Has the springtime of youth momentarily deserted you? Do you want us to carry you to the medic?"

"No, I'm fine, it's just……" Involuntarily Hinata glanced back into the conference room, where Hanabi was proceeding to violently kiss the Lieutenant into the table, blades forgotten by their feet. Kiba was responding just as aggressively and as a result it looked more like warfare than any expression of affection.

She winced when the two bowl headed men followed her gaze to peer curiously into the room. Identical blinding grins cracked over their faces and Gai even had tears glimmering in his eyes. "Ah…….it is truly heartening to see such _vigorous_ displays of youth!"

Hinata blushed even harder.

* * *

The worm was staring at him. Worms have no eyes, he knew, but right now he could have sworn by his honour that the pink, slimy thing was ogling him with ravenous hunger emanating from its every pore.

Normally Hyuuga Neji would not have particularly minded if a worm looked at him the wrong way, but unfortunately this one happened to have an approximate diameter of what he (optimistically) guessed to be (only) six feet. Its pulsating, moist body, clinging to the left wall of the tunnel, stretched all the way back into the darkness of the passage ahead. If this creature's dimensions were proportional to its much smaller counterparts nearer to the surface, then its length would have to be over a hundred feet. In his most distinguished professional opinion, this worm was potentially Very Scary.

He grit his teeth, eyes narrowing determinedly. The worm was blocking two thirds of the tunnel and there were no alternative paths as far as he could see. The others were only a few minutes behind him and he was sure that the worm's appetite could gladly accommodate them all. Neji bristled manfully; he'd be damned if he was going to let Tenten get eaten.

He set down his lantern and drew his sword in a flash of gleaming steel, pointing it threateningly at the giant bug: "Prepare for death, vile dragon of the earth."


	22. Momo

Verrrry long chapter, because I needed to get a lot out of the way. Only three or four more to go, hurrah!

And yes, I felt the cliche at the end was necessary.

* * *

**Chapter 22: Momo**

Jiraiya was becoming nostalgic again.

"This tunnel here," he told Tenten, running his fingers luxuriously through his silvery, dreadlocked beard, "reminds me most _direly_ of the time I spent an entire week living inside the hollowed out tentacle of a giant squid."

"Kraken?" She smiled distractedly, trying to find a good foothold in the coarsely hewn tunnel.

"Nah." Tenten nearly slipped on a slick patch of glistening black moss; Jiraiya reached out and grabbed her by the collar, hoisting her easily to her feet. The lantern in her hand swung wildly and the warm circle of light it cast was flung from side to side, illuminating brief glimpses of terracotta earth and the occasional exposed root. "Much smaller. A cousin o' hers thrice removed, I believe."

"And is that on her mother's or father's side?"

"Alas, my giant squid family tree has been getting rather rusty and I cannot quite remember."

"Quite understandable," she reassured him, dusting herself off and grinning when she heard Shino's snort a few paces behind.

Everything so far had gone according to plan. An hour before nightfall, as the last gleams of sunlight were spilling slowly under the horizon, the three of them with Neji had left Ino and Chouji by the entrance to wade through the rising tide, already swamping the cavern waist high, to clamber several feet into the tunnel. After a short uphill hike that took them safely above the water level, the path had levelled off somewhat into another smaller and thankfully much dryer cavern, where they had spent the night. At exactly two a.m., according to Neji's gold pocket watch, they had resumed their journey for the Aburame compound.

The tunnel proved to be rather difficult to navigate, twisting and turning in a generally westward direction. Occasionally it split into minor branches that led to dead ends and sometimes to a skeleton or two, in post mortem postures that suggested starvation, thirst or diarrhoea. After a while Neji had decided to scout ahead in order to conserve time and sanity, taking one of the two lanterns they shared between them.

"Now, _starfish_ ancestry, on the other hand, jus' happens to be an expertise o' mine," Jiraiya continued wisely, wagging a crooked finger at Tenten. "I can definitely tell you a good bit 'bout their history. It's all about immigration problems, immigration problems, nuthin' but immigration problems."

"Really," she replied dryly. "Your knowledge is certainly very extensive, Jirai-"

_"Quiet!"_ They both froze when Shino suddenly darted past them to bar their way, stretching out an arm in warning. The Aburame pressed a hand against the wall of the tunnel, crumbling moist earth between his fingers and sniffing it carefully. He hesitated briefly, before slipping forwards and out of the perimeter of light.

"Shino?" Tenten whispered cautiously. "What's wrong?"

A few seconds later a hand re-emerged into view, beckoning them to follow. Tenten frowned, half covering the lantern to mute its glow. They continued on silently for a minute or so, perturbed and literally in the dark as to his purpose.

"Shino," Tenten whispered again, groping almost blindly forwards and hoping that he wasn't too far ahead, "What's happening? Why-"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Tenten actually jumped back at Shino's enraged growl, reeling in shock as it echoed past them in decibels never before heard from the man. _"Shino!..._You shouted!"

Jiraiya snarled and leaped forwards while brandishing a cutlass, Tenten close at his heels. The tunnel veered sharply to the right; they kicked dirt high into the air as they sprinted around the corner, and proceeded to stumble dramatically to a halt at the sight of Shino glaring furiously at one dumbfounded ex-captain of the Konohan Navy. Their gaze slid slowly from the first man to the other, then fixing onto what appeared to be one end of an enormous worm comfortably dominating the background – _Oh, my, _Tenten thought dazedly – before finally resting on the sword that Neji was currently brandishing valiantly at said worm.

_Ah. _She winced.

"Shiver me timbers," Jiraiya whistled bemusedly. "Didn't your ma tell you never to hurt buggies when there's an Aburame around? You're in one hell o' a scrape now, son."

Tenten was staring in awe at the giant worm but still found the presence of mind to elbow him discreetly. "Not helping."

"LOWER YOUR SWORD THIS INSTANT," Shino thundered. Neji stiffened indignantly but allowed his sword to fall slowly to his side, though his grip never loosened.

"What is the matter with you?" he demanded perplexedly, "Do you _want _us all to be eaten alive?"

"SHE'S ON A DIET." Shino eyed Neji with clear exasperation, gesturing towards the worm. _"OBVIOUSLY."_

"Aye," Jiraiya agreed, trying and failing to stifle his chuckling, _"Obviously."_

As if to prove his point, Shino strode purposefully past Neji, heading straight towards the giant head. Neji's lantern on the ground lit him up eerily as he reached out an arm to lightly pet the worm, almost caressing it as its pale pink flesh expanded and contracted softly, wetly.

"Fool," Neji growled, lunging forwards to his defence, "get back here, Aburame!" He cursed loudly when the worm suddenly began to move, slowly rearing up off the floor.

"She won't eat us," Shino told him sternly, and actually gave a small smile when the worm, much to the surprise of their audience, began to nuzzle affectionately against his hand. "See?"

A long pause.

"Aye." Tenten smiled. Jiraiya stroked his beard benignly.

Neji looked a little distastefully at the thin coating of slime that now covered Shino's fingers. _That really cannot be hygienic. _

After a respectful duration of time had passed, wherein the three allowed Shino and the worm to bask in their mutual affection, Tenten coughed lightly. "Shino?"

He turned to look at them calmly. "Get on."

"Pardon?" Neji raised an elegant eyebrow.

"You heard me. We'll get there much quicker – and safer – if we ride."

"Sir, you are out of your mind," Neji began, but broke off when Tenten hastily grabbed him by the hand and pulled him forwards.

"Come on, Neji," she urged him, smiling brightly up at the Hyuuga. "Shino knows what he's doing, I'm sure."

Neji blinked; looked down at the smaller, calloused hand currently wrapped tightly around his; sighed, traced his thumb gently across her knuckles and manfully resigned himself to the fact that they were about to travel by worm.

"Here, let me help you," he told her gruffly, sheathing his blade and shrugging out of his shirt so she could have something relatively dry to sit on. Tenten bit back a smile as Neji hoisted her onto his shoulders and sat her carefully onto the creature's ridged back, though she let her fingers trail teasingly across the nape of his neck and down his throat as she settled herself down. Even in the dark of the tunnel she could discern the blush that immediately reddened his face.

The worm was surprisingly comfortable to sit on, if rather moist. Neji found himself sinking a little disturbingly into the soft flesh but soon figured that he could balance quite well by digging his legs against its sides and grabbing onto each individual, enormous segment as the worm undulated forwards at an alarmingly rapid pace. The vast majority of the worm's length still stretched into the darkness before them; close up it exuded the faint scent of rust and wet sandalwood. Shino got on last, at the very tip, and after a light tap and a few gentle murmurs had managed to set them shooting forwards, their heads barely grazing the tunnel ceiling as they lurched violently up and down, to the right and the left – _"Starboard, three seconds!" _Jiraiya would roar from his position in front, and they'd barely have time to brace themselves before the abrupt change in momentum flung them all to one side, careening around the more difficult, acute turns that the worm manoeuvred with a blind, sleek efficiency. The light from their lanterns gleamed briefly across jagged rock beds and what looked to be the remnants of other giant insects: an antennae sticking out here, a decomposing beetle leg there, discoloured scorpion claws raking down through the ceiling; once they passed an enormous, gaping hole, crusted with fresh earth, from where the worm had evidently burrowed into the Aburame tunnel.

A dull _crack; _Neji heard a loud groan come from Jiraiya, before he hollered back: _"Oy, get ya heads down!_...Damned plant."

"For the love of-" He immediately ducked as a thick protruding root came hurtling towards them from above, missing the top of his head by less than an inch. A dusty tendril lashed against his temple. His eyes were watering from the headwind. A few breathless seconds later Tenten shakily clambered back into an upright position and turned to glance at him, grinning widely, with her hair loosening from her buns and eyes bright, a bit of worm slime on her cheek.

"Isn't this fun, Neji?" she asked loudly, and despite the insanity, the danger and utter lack of hygiene of their situation he found himself smiling back, thinking: _this is not so bad after all. _

* * *

"So this is it, eh?" Jiraiya peered critically at the spiderwebs lacing the small, unassuming iron door cut into the blunt end of the tunnel. It was more squared than rectangular, not tall enough for a grown man to walk through without ducking his head. A soft layer of coppery dust muted its paintwork, but tellingly the hinges were well oiled. A simple latch kept it closed.

Shino came up from behind. "Yes. If I remember correctly, it should lead straight to the second library." The group had left the worm a few paces behind after having, at his insistence, gingerly petted it as thanks. (They had taken a full ten minutes to walk past the worm itself to its other end. Neji's initial guess had been right; it was _definitely _much longer than a hundred feet.)

"I didn't know you could speak worm," Neji said, managing to sound like he was making dignified dinner party small talk even when his trousers were moist with slime. The Aburame shrugged modestly.

"It's not difficult once you grasp the basics."

Tenten looked impressed. "Think you can teach me later, Shino? I'll let you off cleaning duty for a month." She grinned playfully, a quick flash of the canines. "Neji can take your shifts instead."

_"Tenten." _Neji's tone was one of long suffering, but a small, arrogant smirk was playing on his lips when he leaned down fluidly to murmur in her ear: "Only if you clean _me _off afterwards."

It was Tenten's turn to blush. "I….I didn't know you could suggest such a thing, Hyuuga Neji," she declared with mock outrage.

He hadn't know that he could, either; Neji was currently looking rather scandalized by that automatic, uninhibited, _most improper _tease he himself had let slip without thinking. It was Tenten, he decided. Tenten was the cause of his insanity. Tenten made him willing to swab her decks with the shirt off his back, made him want to kiss her on a rocky beach covered with mussels, take her hand when others weren't watching, ride an oversized worm, suggest indecent activities to try out in private…….

"Thas a good line, son. Terribly suave." Jiraiya patted his shoulder in a fatherly manner, eyes twinkling. "I'll be sure ta put that in somewhere in me next novel."

Neji winced. "………Let's go on."

"Yes, let's," said Shino hastily, who had been looking both amused and uncomfortable at their exchange. He stepped forwards to press his ear against the door, one hand resting on the iron frame, fingertips gathering dust. A moment later he glanced back at them, shaking his head seriously.

"I can't hear anything," he told them.

"T'is an iron door, 'course you can't," Jiraiya snorted. Shino ignored him.

"There shouldn't be anyone inside, at any rate, not at this time of the morning." He paused, looking at Tenten. "I'll go in first."

"Aye." She nodded. "Be careful, Shino."

He slid open the latch, swinging the door open noiselessly to reveal a short, narrow passage, the end of which was covered by what appeared to be thick cloth. Faint light glowed warmly through the green fabric, casting a pale square on the dirt floor. Shino stepped inside and shuffled through, half crouching; when he got to the end he carefully pushed aside the cloth to peer into the room. The others caught a brief glimpse of a richly furnished interior. Then Shino looked back, nodded once, and slipped inside. They followed him in single file.

The library was a large room with a low ceiling, lit reasonably well with oil lamps perched in little niches in the walls. As Shino had explained back at the Academy, it only contained the documents produced by the Aburame clan in their role as the official chroniclers of government activity; rows upon rows of thick, leather bound tomes gathered dust on the shelves, alongside government issued proclamations, stacks of letters, glass cases filled with official seals. A few heavy tomes lay open on ornate, low tables, revealing long pages painstakingly inked with dates and statistics and names of those long dead. Neji examined an archive of exportation from the major cities of the Empire, running a finger along its ridged spine.

A look back at where they had come from revealed that the secret passageway was hidden by a large tapestry on the wall, one of many that were hung around the room. They depicted political maps of the known world decade by decade: the first one, behind which they had emerged, was faded with age and showed the Konohan empire in its first stage as the Kingdom of Konoha, beset by warlords on all sides; in the next it had expanded towards the Mist Federation to the north and the Republic of Wind in the north-east ; yet another showed the disintegration of the Han Kingdom to the east, prey to the violent civil war that had sent refugees scattered across the continents, including Tenten and her family. The newest one represented the countries as their borders currently stood.

"They're beautiful," Tenten murmured in a low voice.

"I'm telling ya," Jiraiya muttered, "none o' this is anyway _near _as useful as a thorough knowledge o' starfish history. Not if you be a proper seafarin' man, I'm telling ya."

Shino was striding through the shelves towards the exit. "We should go."

"Are you leaving already?"

A stranger's voice, raspy and bemused and carrying evident interest. They started, taken by surprise; the room had definitely appeared empty when they entered. Instinct kicked in. Neji and Shino immediately unsheathed their swords, directing them at the darkened section of the room from where, behind a tall shelf bristling with books, a long shadow was slowly unfolding across the floor. Jiraiya's hand rested carefully on his scabbard. Tenten silently slid a pair of scythes from her belt.

"Avast! Come out and show yourself," she demanded.

"Patience, my dear girl. The damp air has worsened my arthritis these past few weeks." A walking stick emerged; then, slowly, a very tall, very thin old man hobbled out, smiling at them benevolently. He was dressed in an outdated uniform of a government official, his head nearly bald save for a few wisps of white by his temples. He stopped a few feet before them. "Don't worry, I am alone. Put down your weapons now, if you please. And a very good morning to you all." He nodded politely at Neji, Tenten and Jiraiya. "My name is Aburame Masaru. Pleased to meet you." Then he finally turned to Shino, his smile widening: "Welcome back, Shino."

"You know me." Shino's face was expressionless, but the tightened grip on his sword betrayed his surprise.

"Indeed." The man tilted his head aristocratically, still smiling. "You used to play with my own grandson, I believe. It has been a long time since I last saw you – ten years, twelve years, no? But I recognized you the moment you came in. You look exactly like your father." A thoughtful pause. "Except Shibi has that absolutely preposterous moustache going on, of course. You are very wise not to grow yours. Much less creepy looking."

Shino was silent. Tenten glanced at Neji. _He grew it for a while, _she mouthed. _Definitely creepy looking._

"What d'ya want?" Jiraiya asked gruffly, eyeing the man with suspicion.

"What do I want?" he echoed, eyebrows raising elegantly, placing both hands on his walking stick. Although he was responding to Jiraiya, his gaze remained firmly fixed on Shino. "I would think that the better question is: what do _you _want?"

Neji frowned. "Do not play games with us, sir. Remain quiet and let us on our way, and I promise that you will be unhurt."

"Hmmm…….a Hyuuga, I see. I'm surprised to see that you've brought one along. And all of you dressed as…….sailors? Pirates?" Masaru slowly limped towards Shino as he spoke, casually brushing aside his sword. Then he muttered, in a low voice so that none but the other Aburame could hear: "Is that what became of you, then, after you helped the Uzumaki escape?" He shook his head musingly. "And you're back even now, to save him a second time."

Shino gave him a hard look. "You know he is Uzumaki?"

"Of course," Masaru replied loftily. "I recognized him as well, when they brought him in yesterday with the other prisoners. The younger ones don't know him at all, of course, but those from my generation and rank? We know. We know everything." A pause. "We liked his father."

"…….Did you."

"Indeed. But tell me, Shino: is he worth it? His son, I mean. The heir. Is he really worth risking your life twice this way?"

"Yes." Shino's face was perfectly blank. Masaru scrutinized him carefully, rubbing his thumb across the curved handle of his walking stick in contemplation.

"Very well." He leaned back, raising his voice so the others could hear. "It appears you four are having quite the grand adventure. I heartily approve. I like it immensely when young people show some vivacity and go off on adventures." He glanced at Jiraiya's unimpressed expression and amended smoothly, "And you, my dear sir. Being of a similar age and quite the infirm, I respect your willingness to traipse around with these young folks. Very inspiring. Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy your company any longer. My wife is going to think I fell asleep in here again."

"Ya think we're just gonna to let ye walk away?" Jiraiya looked at him scornfully.

"Naturally. I am only going on my customary stroll before bed. It's quite a nice night underground, isn't it, but what uncommonly salty air we're having in here. You came in from the coast, yes?" He made his way nonchalantly to the tapestry, lifting it up to peer into the tunnel. "Ah, it's Monatrice Wilhemina Ursuline Alessandra Antoinette the Third. Good to see her again, very good!"

"Who?" Neji sounded lost.

"The beautiful lady just out there. We call her Momo for short. She's gotten much thinner, dear me."

"Yes, that's what I told her. She's on a diet," Shino added gravely.

"Oh dear. I suppose her husband's been playing around again." Masaru shook his head. "Well, I really must be off." He began hobbling back towards the exit. Jiraiya moved to bar his way, but he simply went around the pirate unperturbedly. Tenten put a hand on Jiraiya's elbow, holding him back with a thoughtful expression. "Night time strolls before bed are really very beneficial for one's health, you know. Very relaxing and good for circulation. So good, in fact, that I think I just might invite the two sentries standing outside the prison - situated most conveniently right below this library - to join me for the night. I'm sure they'll enjoy it as well. It's half an hour before the guard changes but they shouldn't be too worried about leaving their posts a bit early, especially as they're quite conscious of my arthritic condition. And by the time I reach them there will be only fifteen minutes left, anyway; the damp weather has really quite irritated my joints these few days, dear oh dear."

He paused at the door. "Unfortunately, I don't think I could invite the guards _inside _the prison as well. It'd be quite improper to request an entourage of more than two, wouldn't it? Oh well. _Those four_ will have to wait their turn."

"We can't trust him," Jiraiya muttered, glaring down at Tenten. "Let me at 'im, lass."

"And if I just so happen to be attacked by roaming pirates – although I'm positive that wouldn't happen _here," _Masaru interrupted smoothly, "I know those two sentries will arrive in a second if I call very loudly."

"Be gone with you, Aburame Masaru," Tenten ordered. "Go before I change my mind and mince you into fodder for the sharks." To Jiraiya and the others she explained tersely: "There's nothing else we can do. If he's lying we'll end up fighting; if we hurt him we'll end up fighting anyway. We might as well trust his offer for now."

"Very cleverly said, my dear girl, very cleverly said indeed. Well, goodnight, all of you. Good night, Shino. I hope this won't be the last time I see you." And with that Masaru left the room.

"He's lyin'," Jiraiya said flatly. "Why was he in here at this hour? What's goin' for him in betrayin' his own clan?"

Shino stiffened. Tenten let out a deep, shuddering breath. "I know. I knew from the start, instinct burned like hell fire when he spoke. At his pace, I'm guessing we have ten, fifteen minutes before the guards come."

"Eh? An' you let the lily-liver'd scalawag go?"

"She was right to do so," Neji spoke up calmly, already moving further back into the room and starting to examine the archives. "We wouldn't have been any better off threatening him a moment ago. Now, instead, he thinks that he's got us fooled and trapped in here." He slid a book out, a _Compilation of Reports by the Governor of East Konoha on Peasant Uprisings, _flipping through the pages with mild interest. Then he looked up, meeting Tenten's gaze. "We can ambush them when they come. That's what you were thinking, yes?"

"Aye." She smiled wanly.

"Bah. I swear we coulda just skewered 'im and be done with it," Jiraiya muttered sulkily.

"I'm only worried that he'll bring more reinforcements than we can handle," Shino said quietly, "if the corridor outside is filled with soldiers we'd find it near impossible to even get to the prison entrance."

"Then we won't use the corridor." Tenten grinned. "The prison is directly below us, right?" To their collective surprise she suddenly reached down the front of her shirt.

"What are you doing?" Neji was horrified, darting in front of Shino and Jiraiya to block her from their view.

"I kept this sweet lil' baby here," she told him proudly, looking extremely pleased with herself as she drew out a thin stick of dynamite from her cleavage. "Best explosive I got. We can just blow a good sized chunk out of the floor and break in that way." Smirking at him, she slid the stick back inside. "I have another one, just in case." She didn't mention where that one was situated. Neji swallowed and tore his gaze away.

"Preposterous woman," he muttered thickly.

Tenten chuckled, but then quickly sobered. "We'll hide in the two corners closest to the door," she told them decisively. "That way they'll go further into the room when they don't see us, and we can attack them from behind. Shino, Jiraiya, you take your positions behind the couch there, under the painting. Neji and I will stay behind those bookshelves."

She wandered over now to inspect her corner, sliding into the triangular niche fenced off by a diagonal wall of shelving and peering through the gaps in the rows of books, adjusting a few where they exposed too much to view. Neji joined her cautiously, tugging out the nearby tapestry to hide their entrance.

"These things are pretty hefty," she mused aloud, throwing one experimentally up and down in her hand, "we might as well use them as missiles when the soldiers come. What _is_ this? _Cleaning Arrangements in the Royal Konohan Navy, Book XII. _How truly fascinating._" _Neji eyed her gloomily. Tenten gave him a pitying glance. "Is this the sort of stuff they _educated _you on, Neji? Well, never mind; a lot of things are explained now." She patted him on the shoulder with genuine sympathy. Neji twitched.

"I'll have you know –" he began dignifiedly, but Tenten had already moved off, choosing another book and giggling away at the sombre title embossed onto its leather cover. To his discomfort the entire shelf hiding them from view seemed to be dedicated to records on the Konohan Navy, his recent ex-employer.

"Look, Neji," Tenten suddenly whispered excitedly, thrusting an opened book at him and pointing to a section of what appeared to be a chronological log of Navy exploits. "1603, August the second: Small pirate crew spotted off the southernmost tip of the nautical border with the Mist Federation. Captain, simply identified as one "Jiraiya" of foreign origin, appeared to be carousing with four blonde and full figured women on deck. Commanding Officer on duty: Hyuuga M."

Neji snorted.

"And then here, this entry – 1605, February the tenth: Man believed to be the fugitive pirate captain Jiraiya spotted fleeing makeshift campsite on northern coast during immigration patrol. Inspection suggests that he had been living inside a roughly hollowed out squid tentacle stolen from the nearby giant squid processing workshops. Commanding Officer on duty: Uchiha H."

"Well, that sounds familiar," he muttered. Tenten looked like she was trying hard not to burst out laughing. Neji smiled at her expression. "There's another one," he pointed out. "1606, December the fourth: Exchanged cannon shots with Jiraiya and fatally damaged pirate ship. Not captured; crewmember later claimed to see him swimming amongst a passing school of Sunanese pink jellyfish. Commanding Officer on duty: Hyuuga T."

"Sweet lord." Tenten shook her head. "I thought he had just been feeding us tall stories the entire time. Is there more?"

"Not in this book." Neji scanned over the next few pages. "Perhaps in another one."

"Aye. Let's see what else we can find." Tenten was evidently intrigued, sliding another book out and rifling through its contents.

"Hn……" Neji, interested despite himself, selected another tome from the shelf and searched for any new mentions of Jiraiya. Nothing. He tried another one: nothing. The last official record on the pirate seemed to have been the one dated the December of 1606. He took a fourth book out, a relatively slim volume titled _Illegal Immigrants and Foreign Pirate Crews: Records and Statistics. _The pages were yellowed and well thumbed, perhaps by some avid Aburame historian; the spine creaked quietly when he flipped open the cover to scan down the contents page.

A moment later Tenten bumped her elbow against his, looking up from the book she had been perusing herself. "Hey, look at this – it's not on Jiraiya but – Neji?" She blinked at him, pausing. Neji was rooted to the spot, staring down at the page before him with an unreadable expression on his face. He was gripping the book very tightly between his fingers; at the sound of Tenten's voice his hands began to shake almost imperceptibly. "Neji……are you alright?" Tenten placed a hand gingerly on his wrist, looking carefully up at him. "What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, reluctantly, he tilted the book so that she could read the opened pages.

"What is it?" She skimmed through the lines of neat, precise handwriting, too anxious and confused to fully process the letters and numbers that swarmed across her vision. It was a log, like the first book they had found containing entries on Jiraiya, except the subject was different; this one mostly charted the practical application of the various immigration policies adopted by the Konohan government as they changed over the years, specifically centring on the treatment of illegal immigrants.

_1625, March the sixteenth: Two more ships of Han refugees found to the east of the Straits, raising this month's total to five. Continued increase expected as the civil war in the __Han__Kingdom__ reaches final stages. _

Her lips parted softly; suddenly her heart was beating too fast, a hard _thud thud thud _behind her ribs. She continued reading.

_The ships were dealt with accordingly. No survivors. Commanding Officer on duty: Tanaka E._

"Neji," she said hollowly. "Neji, I-" She broke off.

Tenten traced a finger down the page, stopping whenever Han refugees were mentioned. _Fishing boat found off south-west coast. Refugees already dead. Three ships captured attempting to enter estuary of the __Yan__River__. Burned. No survivors save for five males released back to the Han as warning. Two ships found in shallow waters. All refugees executed. _

And then, finally, she reached the last entry on the page that concerned refugees from the Han. She read it; closed her eyes, breathed out deeply; opened her eyes and read it again.

_One ship, found heading for shore near __Bay__ of __Sharks__. Cannon shots fired but refugees protected by passing pirate crew, led by man later identified as the pirate Shiranui G. Pirates eventually fought off, although they took one of the Han on board: a young girl, approximate age nine or ten. Refugee ship forced aground, all surviving members executed. Commanding Officer on duty:_

Tenten bit her lip.

_Hyuuga H. _


End file.
